Edem Osmanov was arrested in the “May 3 Case”

The Central District Court of Simferopol arrested for two months a new, fifth, person involved in the "May 3 Case" - 34-year-old businessman Edem Osmanov. Report "Crimea. Realii” with reference to the head of the Central Election Committee Kurultai of the Crimean Tatar people Zair Smedlyaev.

Osmanov was detained on January 19 at a gas station in the village of Chernomorskoye. A white Gazelle drove up to the car in which the businessman and his family were. From there jumped out five unknown men in masks. They tied up Osmanov and took him away.

The businessman was charged under Part 1 of Article 318 of the Criminal Code (use of non-dangerous violence against a government official). He faces up to five years in prison. Osmanov has already been charged. According to the investigation, on May 3, 2014, during a meeting of the national leader of the Crimean Tatars Mustafa Dzhemilev in Armyansk, Osmanov used force against the Russian police. Relatives of the accused, however, deny the statement of the investigators.

Osmanov's interests are represented by lawyer Emil Kurbetdinov. He also defends another defendant in the case - Tair Smedlyaev, brother of the head of the CEC Kurultai.

The first four defendants in the May 3 case - Musa Apkerimov, Rustam Abdurakhmanov, Tair Smedlyaev and Edem Ebulisov - were arrested in October-November. Abdurakhmanov and Smedlyaev were also charged with part 1 of article 318, Apkerimov with part 2 of the same article (use of dangerous violence), which provides for up to 10 years in prison. What kind of accusation Ebulisov was charged with is unknown.

However, on December 11, Tair Smedlyaev was released under the guarantee of Eskender Bilyalov, an adviser to Vladimir Putin's envoy in Crimea. Around the same time, under Bilyalov's guarantee, three other defendants also left the pre-trial detention center.