In Crimea Ukrainian activist Movenko faces 5 years of imprisonment for comment in VKontakte social network

Crimean activist Igor Movenko was charged under Article 280 part 2 of the Russian Criminal Code (public calls for extremist activities).

According to the Crimean Human Rights Group, today Igor is under a written undertaking not to leave.

Igor faces up to 5 years of imprisonment in accordance with this article. The criminal case against Igor was initiated for his comment, which he wrote in the group “Crimea-Ukraine” in VKontakte social network. He made this comment in the summer of 2016 and presented the pro-Ukrainian position of Movenko.

As a reminder, on 7 September 2016, Movenko was beaten in Sevastopol, because he placed symbolic of the Azov battalion on his bicycle. Police and an ambulance were called to the scene. The Crimean activist was hospitalized. Movenko had been diagnosed with open craniocerebral injury, brain concussion, fractures in the base of the skull, jaw fracture, closed nasal fractures, eyeball contusion and other injuries.

Movenko was supposedly attacked by a police officer, as he presented himself. However the criminal case against him was not initiated. Instead, a court hearing was held in the Gagarinsky District Court of Sevastopol on September 22 and, as a result, injured Movenko was fined for 2,000 rubles for “spreading Nazi symbolism”.

The Crimean tried to force the police officers to open a criminal case on the fact of the beatings. He wrote official letters to the Investigative Committee, the Prosecutor’s Office and the police. However, the case was never opened.

On 16 December 2016, in Sevastopol, FSB officers came to the place of work of Igor Movenko and took him with them. Officers of the FSB also seized Igor’s work computer. FSB officers told his wife that he is being taken to the Sevastopol Department of the FSB. Movenko’s wife told that she was forbidden to talk with her husband, but Igor managed to tell her that he was beaten and threatened to be detained if he did not confess extremism.

Movenko’s laptop, hard drives from the home computer, SIM cards and package from the starter package were seized during the search, which was conducted on the same day in Movenko’s house. They also took Igor’s mobile phone. The search was conducted by 7 people.

FSB officers have filmed the search in Movenko’s apartment.