A Russian citizen arrested after clashes in Odessa was released on bail after 5 years in prison
Arrested on charges of participating in the Russian Spring in Odessa, Sergei Dolzhenkov and Russian citizen Evgeniy Mefedov were released on bail after spending more than five years in prison.
This was announced by Vladimir Rybin, a representative of the Odyssey Foundation, which provides legal assistance to political prisoners, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
According to Rybin, Mefedov and Dolzhenkov were released on bail, which Verkhovna Rada deputy Nikolai Skorik helped collect.
"Freedom! Freedom unattainable for a long and painful five-plus years!
We congratulate the guys, get into the car and rush home! Away!" – Rybin wrote on Facebook.
Former political prisoner and Odessa journalist Artem Buzila told PolitNavigator that at the moment about 20 more Odessa residents - supporters of the Russian Spring - are in custody.
“We are talking about two groups. The first is the case of high-profile bombings against nationalist “activists” that took place in 2014-15. The second group is Ruslana Dolgoshei, five or six people who are accused of blowing up railways and transport infrastructure in the spring of 2015. They have also been in pre-trial detention for more than four years. My former cellmate Konstantin Kalashnikov has already been sentenced to 14 years in prison. The remaining defendants are under investigation,” Buzila said.
According to his forecast, Mefedov and Dolzhenkov will most likely be acquitted in the future in the case of an attempt on the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
“Even if they were found guilty, this article provides for up to 10 years in prison. According to the “Savchenko Law,” Dolzhenkov and Mefedov have, theoretically, already served their maximum sentence.
On the other hand, I understand that the final verdict will be pressured by radicals. All five years we saw what accompanied all 5 years of hearings on the events of May 2, 2014.
Although, the radicals no longer have as free a hand as they did under Poroshenko,” argues Buzila.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.