In the temporarily occupied Dzhankoy town, a local resident was detained for posts on social media that the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) classified as “justification for the destruction of the Crimean Bridge.” The man faces up to seven years in prison under Russian law, according to reports in the occupation media.
The occupiers claim that linguistic analysis has found evidence of justification of terrorism in his posts. A criminal case has been opened against the man for “public calls for terrorist activity” and “propaganda of terrorism using the Internet.”
The FSB also noted that the detainee had previously served a two-year sentence under another politically motivated article – “rehabilitation of Nazism”. He is now being held in custody for two months.
The Crimean Tatar Resource Center condemns such persecution and emphasizes that persecution for public statements on social media is a violation of freedom of speech and another example of illegal politically motivated repression by the occupying authorities in Crimea.