Temporarily obliged

The judge of the Railway District Court of Simferopol, Vasily Zlotnikov, sentenced the former member of the revision commission of the Crimean Tatar people of Kurtseyit Abdullaev by 20 hours of compulsory work for demonstrating the Ukrainian flag with the inscription "Krim - Ts Ukrainian" at the agreed rally of the memory of Taras Shevchenko, who held in the Crimean capital on March 9. This was reported by "Crimea. Realities." Zlotnikov considered the activist guilty under Article 20.2 of the Russian Administrative Code (violation of the procedure for holding a public event).

Abdullaev did not plead guilty and declared his intention to appeal the decision. “I had the right to hold the flag of this state because Shevchenko is a Ukrainian poet,” the activist said . He also assured: "I will not be revenge streets." Abdullaev confirmed the previously made statement that the obligatory work or payment of a fine prefers administrative arrest.

Activist lawyer Jamil Temyshev, for his part, called the decision of Zlotnikov absurd. “Now they will simply forbid the use of the Ukrainian flag, tomorrow it will reach the extreme degree,” the lawyer remarked. “Any sane person must in every way counteract this insanity.”

“I think that we will not find the truth in the Crimea,” Temyshev added regarding the prospects of appeal. “Maybe in Moscow.”

On March 12, the judge of the same court, Natalya Urzhumova , sentenced three other participants in the rally - Vildar Shukurjiev, Alexander Kravchenko and Leonid Kuzmina - by 40 hours of compulsory work of everyone. Unlike Abdullaev, these activists were detained at the end of the rally. They also showed Ukrainian symbols for shares.

A day earlier, Kuzmin, who was the organizer of the rally, was illegally fired from the city school , where he worked as a history teacher.

A rally on March 9 gathered about 50 people . He took place in the Gagarinsky park. The organizers submitted an application for an action in a traditional place - at the monument to the poet in the park of his name. However, the occupation authorities refused them, citing the fact that another action was planned there.

The audience read the poems of Shevchenko, and also chanted the slogan "The glory of Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!". In addition, they deployed one Crimean Tatar and two Ukrainian flags. One of the Ukrainian flags - with the inscription "CRIM - TSERKAINA" - kept just Abdullaev.