A citizen of Ukraine is subjected to violence in a pre-trial detention center

The lawyer of Ukrainian citizen Volodymyr Balukh, who is accused of illegal possession of ammunition (part 1 of article 222 of the Criminal Code) and is in a pre-trial detention center, said that his client is facing pressure in the pre-trial detention center. This was reported on January 24 on the website of the Crimean Human Rights Group (CHG).

On January 23, the lawyer met with Balukh during a court hearing in the Supreme Court of Crimea, which considered the legality of a search in Balukh’s house in April 2015, when, under the pretext of searching for stolen spare parts from a tractor, police officers entered the activist’s house and removed the Ukrainian flag he had hung . According to the defender, traces of obvious physical impact are visible on Balukh's face. In this regard, the lawyer and the client are asking for a meeting with the Ukrainian Ombudsman Valeria Lutkovskaya.

In the pre-trial detention center, Vladimir Balukh's chronic diseases worsened and, according to the CHRG, he needs urgent medical care. On December 28, an ambulance was called to the isolation ward.

Balukh was detained on December 8 after searches were made at his home and that of his mother. Law enforcement agencies said that during the searches, cartridges and TNT bombs were found. On December 12, the Razdolnensky District Court of Crimea chose Balukh as a measure of restraint in the form of detention.

According to the Crimean Human Rights Group, prohibited items could have been planted in the activist's house. Balukh is known for his public pro-Ukrainian position and the criminal case against him may be motivated by this. On November 9, 2016, he placed a sign on the wall of his house “Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred Street, 18”, after which the chairman of the village council came to his house with threats.