18 September 2014, Valentyn Vyhivsky, one of the first political prisoners of Crimea, was detained. He was accused allegedly of ‘spying in favour of the Ukrainian security services’.
According to relatives, the occupants repeatedly induced Valentyn to cooperate, constantly exerted psychological pressure, prevented correspondence with relatives. And already on 15 December 2015, the man was sentenced by the Moscow regional court to 11 years of imprisonment in a strict regime colony.
Valentyn admitted guilt, but then stated that he testified under torture and at that moment had only a lawyer by appointment. On 31 March 2016, the Supreme court of rf rejected the appeal and left the sentence unchanged.
It is known that the man was kept in solitary confinement for almost 5 years. He was repeatedly included in the exchange lists, but the Russian side refused to exchange Vyhivsky .
It should be noted that the charges in this ‘case’ are based on the testimony of ‘hidden witnesses’ and the conclusion of so-called experts who actively cooperate with the Russian security forces. The consideration of the case took place in flagrant violation of international law.
The Crimean Tatar Resource Center strongly protests and declares that this arrest of Valentyn is illegal, politically motivated and criminal. This policy of the Russian Federation is a demonstration of the fight against the political beliefs of citizens in occupied Crimea.
The Crimean Tatar Resource Center demands the cancellation of the sentence of the defendant in the case and the immediate release of other political prisoners.