Editor of newspaper in Alushta has been arrested until January 4

The term of arrest of Oleksiy Nazimov, editor of the publication “Tvoya Gazeta”, was extended to January 4, 2017.

As reported by correspondent of Human Rights Information Centre in Crimea, Balakhonov, Judge of the Supreme Court of Crimea, issued this decision today after considering the appeal of the accused.

Nazimov is accused of extorting bribe for not publishing compromising materials on a member of political party United Russia.

During the court hearing, Nazimov said that his arrest is ordered and related to the critic towards the Crimean authority and United Russia political party. He also said that the case evidence do not correspond to the actual situation. In particular, to the fact that the newspaper has not been published since last year.

Nazimov also said that investigator barely conducted any investigation in three months.

Oleksiy Ladin, lawyer of the defendant, stated that the grounds for detention of the defendant were not presented. He also drew the attention of the court to the unfounded accusations and a number of procedural violations related to the examination of the evidence.

“I have not seen evidence for extension of preventive measure”, – said lawyer.

Ladin added that the overwork of the experts can not be grounds for continued term of detention. According to him, the court has not examined the circumstances which can lead to a softer preventive measure.

Prosecutor Chelpanova asked to dismiss the appeal of the journalist, though no evidence of the possibility of escape or influencing the witnesses were provided. At same time she noted that “Alushta is a small town” and Nazimov is an editor of the local newspaper, which “may affect the investigation”.

As a reminder, on October 4 Oleksiy Nazimov, editor of the local newspaper “Tvoya Gazeta”, was detained by officers of Crimean FSB. Andriy Oblezov, videographer of same newspaper, was arrested on the same day. According to the charges, editor is charged with commercial bribery related to extortion     and correspondent is charged with mediation in extortion. Pavlo Stepanchenko, Deputy of Alushta city Council was also arrested as a mediator on this case.

On October 6 City Court of Alushta chose a preventive measure of detention for all defendants. The arguments that newspaper has not been published since 2015 and that the money, with which editor was arrested, were intended for advertising publications on the internet were ignored. On October 18 an appeal about the preventive measures was dismissed.

Editor Oleksiy Nazimov and Deputy Pavlo Stepanchenko were members of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation by the end of the last year and actively criticized the actions of members of ruling party United Russia before the elections.