Memorial has recognized the criminal prosecution of Crimean journalist Semyon as politically motivated

The Memorial Human Rights Center recognized the criminal prosecution of Nikolai Semena, a journalist for the publication Crimea.Realii, as politically motivated and demanded that the criminal case against him be dropped, according to the organization’s website.

Semyon is accused of public calls for separatism (Part 2 of Article 280.1 of the Criminal Code) due to the article “The blockade is the first necessary step towards the liberation of Crimea.”

“Semena’s article was a response to Sergei Subbotin’s text “The Siege Fairy Tale,” also published on “Crimea. Realities.” If Subbotin wrote about the senselessness of the food and energy blockade of Crimea by Ukraine, refuted the theses of supporters of the blockade, said that he did not want to endure hardships, then Semyon called such a position treasonous, and Subbotin a traitor to Ukraine,” writes Memorial, noting that , from Semyon’s point of view, Ukraine should have introduced a food blockade of Crimea from March 19, 2014, immediately after the annexation of Crimea to Russia.

“Both opinions fit within the framework of an acceptable political discussion adequate to a real-life international conflict,” the organization asserts.

According to Memorial, Semyon’s words “cannot be considered criminal.”

“In fact, the investigation considers the statement that Crimea should be returned to Ukraine to be criminal. “We consider Article 280.1 of the Criminal Code itself, which establishes responsibility for expressing an opinion on the territorial integrity of the country, to be contrary to the Constitution and international obligations of the Russian Federation,” the statement says.

“Memorial” emphasizes that prosecutions under the article “for disagreement with the annexation of Crimea, which, from the point of view of international law, has nothing to do with the “territory of Russia”” are “flagrant.”

“That is why, despite the fact that when monitoring political repression in Russia we give priority to cases in which the defendants are in custody, we consider it important to draw attention to the persecution of Nikolai Semyon, as well as Ilmi Umerov,” Memorial states.

In January, Semyon received an indictment in the case of calls for separatism (Part 2 of Article 280.1 of the Criminal Code). According to investigators, the journalist “prepared an article entitled “The blockade is a necessary first step towards the liberation of Crimea,” in which calls were found to violate the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation.” The conclusion cites fragments of the publication that, according to investigators, contain separatist statements, and describes in detail how Semyon sent the text to the editor by email. In the actions of the journalist, investigators found “a motive of political hostility towards the Russian Federation.”

The former deputy head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, banned by the Supreme Court, Ilmi Umerov is also accused of calling for separatism. According to investigators, in March 2016, Umerov spoke on air on the ATR TV channel. Then his recording was published on the Internet, after which he became a suspect under Part 2 of Article 280.1 of the Criminal Code (public calls for actions aimed at violating the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation).