A court in Crimea approved the extension of arrest for those involved in the gas pipeline explosion case

The Supreme Court of the Republic of Crimea approved the extension of the terms of arrest of Nariman Dzhelal and brothers Aziz and Asan Akhtemov, defendants in the case of an explosion on a gas pipeline in the village of Perevalnoye. Crimean Solidarity reports this.

On December 23, 2021, the Kiev District Court of Simferopol granted the investigation’s request to extend the preventive measure for Dzhelal and the Akhtemov brothers. They will remain in custody until February 23.

The deputy chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, Jelal, together with the brothers Asan and Aziz Akhtemov, are accused of blowing up a gas pipeline near the village of Perevalnoye. In addition, Jelal is charged with smuggling an explosive device by an organized group (Part 3 of Article 226.1 of the Criminal Code) and illegal acquisition of explosives as part of an organized group (Part 4 of Article 222.1 of the Criminal Code).

• On the night of September 3-4, searches were carried out in the houses of Crimean Tatars Asan and Aziz Akhtemov, former deputy head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Nariman Jelal and two other people. On September 6, it became known that second cousins ​​Asan and Aziz Akhtemov and Nariman Dzhelal were suspects in the case of sabotage on a gas pipeline near the village of Perevalnoye (Part 1 of Article 281 of the Criminal Code). According to investigators, in August 2021, they installed an explosive device on the gas pipeline, which led to a shutdown of gas supply in the village and interruptions in the work of social institutions. One of the witnesses in the case alleged torture.
• On September 17, Asan Akhtemov was charged with a new charge under the article on illegal possession of explosives by a group of persons (Part 4 of Article 222.1 of the Criminal Code), and on the 20th the charge was tightened , replacing the first part of the charged article with the second (Part 2 of Article 281 of the Criminal Code - sabotage committed by a group of persons). In November, the FSB added charges to the defendants for smuggling explosive devices by an organized group (Part 3 of Article 226.1 of the Criminal Code).
• The Supreme Court of Crimea recognized the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people as an extremist organization and decided to liquidate it on April 26, 2016.