The second key witness in the case of Kolchenko and Sentsov stated that under pressure "stipulated" his alleged accomplices

The key witness in the case of Oleg Sentsov and Alexander Kolchenko, who are judged in the Rostov region on charges of terrorism, refused to testify. Gennady Afanasyev, previously sentenced to seven years of strict regime for the same arson, which is charged with the current defendant, said that the investigation pronounced Sentsov and Kolchenko under pressure, reports the Human Rights Portal "OVD-Info" .

According to Afanasyev, he admits his participation in the actions that he was incriminated, but "there were no these people there." Afanasyev specified that with Sentsov "had a short -term acquaintance": he met him at public events in the Crimea, but "he had no more affairs with this person." Afanasyev confirmed that all the testimonies that he gave during the investigation against Sentsov and Kolchenko were given "to be forced."

On the eve of another witness, Alexei Chirniy, who, like Afanasyev, went on a deal with the investigation and was sentenced to seven years in the same case, refused to announce his testimony in court. The judges had to be content with reading his testimony given at the investigation stage.

Chirniy referred to the 51st article of the Constitution, which allows not to testify against himself. “I confirm all the previous testimonies given by me in full. I refuse new evidence,” he said.

The prosecutor read out the detention protocol during the court. Journalists noticed that there are contradictions in the testimony of Chirnia. In his early testimonies, the “leader of the group” was Gennady Afanasyev and only later - Sentsov.

A day earlier, negotiations between Chirniya and another witness were announced in the court in the case, Alexander Pirogov, who allegedly received an offer from Chirniya, after which he began to cooperate with the FSB and contributed to the arrest of Chirniya.

Throughout the meeting at which Pirogov performed and his negotiations with Chirniya were announced, the names of Sentsov and Kolchenko had never sounded, although the investigation considers them the leader and accomplice of the arson, respectively.

According to investigators, from April to May 2014, Oleg Sentsov, Alexander Kolchenko, Alexei Chirniy and Gennady Afanasyev set fire to the offices of the Russian Community of Crimea in Simferopol and the local branch of the United Russia party. The FSB claims that they were preparing to commit terrorist attacks on the night of May 9 last year of home -made explosive devices near the eternal flame and the monument to Lenin in Simferopol.

Chirniy and other accused in the same case - Gennady Afanasyev - were fully pleaded to guilt and concluded an agreement with the investigation, in connection with which their cases were considered separately (Afanasyev was also sentenced to seven years of strict regime and should also be in court). Sentsov and Kolchenko are not plead guilty. The human rights organization Amnesty International previously called Sentsov’s arrest illegal. The Russian cinema union, the National Union of Cinematographers of Ukraine and the Confederation of Unions of Cinematographers of the CIS countries and the Baltic states made the director of the director.