The foreign Ministry of Ukraine has demanded from Russia to cancel the verdict against its citizens Mykola Karpiuk and Stanislav Cliche and release them, according to the website of the Ministry.
The case against Karpyuk and Cliche Kiev is called the “apogee” of the political persecution of Ukrainian activists in Russia. As stated in the foreign Ministry, Russia has openly demonstrated the “ordered case”, as the court systematically rejected the evidence of the defense. In addition, according to the Ministry of foreign Affairs, in relation to Karpyuk and Cliche have repeatedly used the “torture and other illegal methods of inquiry”. Also, remind in the Ministry, officials from the Ukraine illegally interfered when visiting activists.
“This verdict is yet another indisputable proof that in modern Russia there is no independent justice,” according to Kiev. In addition to the release Karpyuk and Cliche, Ukraine demanded from Russia to release all illegally detained citizens of Ukraine, who are political hostages.”
The foreign Minister wrote in his Twitter: “Russia condemned Savchenko, but then sued Karpyuk and Cliche. That’s the whole Russian policy in relation to our political prisoners”.
On Thursday, the Supreme court of Chechnya sentenced Karpyuk to 22.5 years of imprisonment, and Cliche — to 20 years. They were convicted in military actions against the Russian military in Chechnya in 1994-1995. Their lawyers plan to appeal the decision to the Supreme court of Russia.
