Russia starts transferring detained activists from Crimea
Euromaidan activist Kostenko was taken to Russia without the chance to meet with his relatives.
As the Human Rights Information Centre correspondent reports, it was announced by Head of the Center for Civic Education “Almenda”, human rights activist Olha Skrypnyk at the 11th Ukraine-German Forum “Human rights in war conflict and judiciary reform.”
She noted, “Today we have faced new problem – transferring of Crimean residents from Ukraine to Russia. Oleksandr Kostenko was transferred on Tuesday. He had been already taken from Crimea, his relatives failed to come and see him before. They were not also said where he would serve sentence. I remind that it was a very high-profile case with torture, falsified evidence. It was generally open persecution of Kostenko for his participation in Maidan. Now, he is no longer in Crimea. I remind that the international humanitarian law prohibits transportation of citizens to another state, but this, unfortunately, happens.”
According to her, this practice could continue, as now defendants in the “case of February 26” and other cases stay in remand prison in Crimea and wait for their sentences, which are also unlawful according to the human rights activist.
Olga Skrypnyk notes that the Russian legislation is used on the peninsula to restrict human rights. This, first and foremost, refers to the so-called anti-extremist law that was not previously known in Ukraine at all. Now it is used on the occupied peninsula to conduct searches, install cameras in mosques or other religious and cultural institutions.
