Russian court leaves ‘Ukrainian saboteurs’ Dudka and Bessarabov in colony

16.10.2019 10:06

Ukrinform

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation upheld the sentence to defendants in the so-called "case of Ukrainian saboteurs" Volodymyr Dudka and Oleksiy Bessarabov - 14 years in a maximum security penal colony.

"The 4th composition of the panel of the Supreme Court of Russia, judges Saburov, Taratuta and Gornostayeva, upheld the sentence to Volodymyr Dudka and Oleksiy Bessarabov - 14 years in a maximum security penal colony," human rights activist Viktoria Ivleva posted on Facebook.

It became known in September that Volodymyr Dudka and Oleksiy Bessarabov, who had been convicted in the occupied Crimea within the "case of saboteurs" fabricated by Russia’s Federal Security Service, were transferred from the pre-trial detention center No. 1 in Simferopol to Moscow for consideration of their appeal.

On November 9, 2016, the FSB detained Ukrainian citizens in the occupied Sevastopol, calling them "members of a subversive-terrorist group of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine". Dmytro Shtyblikov, Oleksiy Bessarabov and Volodymyr Dudka were charged with the alleged preparation of sabotage attacks in Crimea.

On May 18, 2017, Shtyblikov entered into a plea bargain and pleaded guilty. The independent attorneys were not allowed to visit him. On November 16, 2017, the “Sevastopol City Court” sentenced Shtyblikov to five years in a maximum security penal colony and RUR 200,000 fine.

On April 4, 2019, the “Sevastopol City Court” sentenced Bessarabov and Dudka to 14 years in a maximum security penal colony on charges of alleged preparation of sabotage attacks on the peninsula and illegal storage of explosives.

In total, according to the Crimean Human Rights Group, Russia’s Federal Security Service has convicted 13 people of “preparation of sabotage attacks and espionage", including Yevhen Panov, Andriy Zakhtey, Volodymyr Prysich, Volodymyr Dudka, Dmytro Shtyblikov, Oleksiy Bessarabov, Hlib Shabliy, Oleksiy Stohniy, Hennadiy Lymeshko, Hanna Sukhonosova, Dmytro Dolhopolov, Kostiantyn Davydenko, Yunus Masharypov.

According to human rights activists, the illegal methods of investigation and forced confession were recorded in all these cases.