Crimea: close blogger Natalya Kharchenko is fired from work

In the annexed Simferopol, close blogger Natalya Kharchenko, in the house of which the Crimean head of the FSB conducted a search as part of a pre -investigation verification for extremism, forced to quit work. This was announced on Monday by the Crimean human rights group with reference to the husband of Kharchenko, an activist of the Ukrainian Cultural Center in the Crimea Andrei Vinogradov.

From work, Vinogradov himself and mother Kharchenko are dismissed. The activist works in the private company Platan, which trades building materials. “Having learned about the search, my leadership immediately invited me to voluntarily write a letter of resignation,” the human rights activists say Vinogradov’s word. “At work, they told me that they had already had searches of the FSB in 2014 and the work was then paralyzed for two weeks. Now they also did not want to take risks.”

On January 16, the same requirement was nominated by the mother of Kharchenko, who works as a chief accountant in the oil and gas company. She herself told her colleagues about the search, hoping to meet sympathy, but instead the administration invited her to write a statement of care. “They explained that this is due to the security measures of the enterprise,” said Vinogradov.

The activist added that after the searches the family of his acquaintances, also supporting Ukraine, was faced with pressure. The Crimeans called and threatened with reprisal. The call came to relatives of acquaintances living in continental Ukraine. “They said that it is better for them (friends. - Ed.) To leave Crimea,” Vinogradov said.

Vinogradov himself and his wife, who are raising two young children, is problematic to move to the continent, since Kharchenko has recently suffered from a chronic disease and now draws up disability. “My wife and I left Crimea and lived in the Dnieper,” the activist explained, “but when Natalya fell ill, it became even more difficult to pay for rental housing, and we returned home to Simferopol.”

A search in the house where the Vinogradov family and Kharchenko’s parents live was held on January 12. At 7 in the morning, the FSB operatives on the annexed Crimea and Sevastopol appeared there. As witnesses, they brought with them two members of the “Young Guard” of United Russia. In connection with which the search is carried out, the visits did not explain.

The security forces checked all the computers in the house. Those that have not been used for a long time were sealed. Operators seized the rest of the computers. “More or less neatly they searched, did not turn anything over, although they scared the children,” Vinogradov later remarked “Crimea. Realia”.

At the end of the search, both spouses were taken to a survey in the regional head of the FSB. It turned out that the security forces were not interested in Vinogradov, as was supposed initially, namely Kharchenko. The attention of the special services attracted publications on the personal VK page of the Crimean, in particular a photo depicting Kharchenko against the backdrop of the Crimean landscape in camouflage and with the Ukrainian flag. According to the results of the pre -investigation audit, Kharchenko threatens the case under Part 2 of Article 280 of the Russian Criminal Code (public calls for extremism over the Internet), which provides for up to five years in the colony.

The lawyer Edem Semedlyaev, who arrived to defend the spouses, the security forces refused to admit to polls. After the lawyer’s call to the FSB hotline, he managed to get to Vinogradov, but he was not allowed to Kharchenko. She was interviewed without a defender.

During the survey, the Crimean woman became ill. Semedlyaev associated this with her disease, which stress was overlapped.

It is known that Kharchenko gave the FSB investigation to the investigator, but which ones were not specified. The security officer also took a non -disclosure subscription from the Crimean.

Meanwhile, Vinogradov - already in the presence of Semedlyaev - refused to give explanations, referring to Article 51 of the Russian Constitution.

After polls, both spouses were released.

The Ukrainian cultural center in Crimea has been operating since May 2015. Vinogradov does not conduct public activities in the organization. “He just comes to our center, helps with projects,” said the founder and head of the center Leonid Kuzmin .

At the same time, Vinogradov does not hide that both he and his family support Ukraine.