The Southern District Military Court extended the arrest of Crimean Tatar citizen journalists Rustem Osmanov and Aziz Azizov, as well as activists Memet Lyumanov and Mustafa Abduramanov until July 7. The defense objected to the prosecution's motion. It believes that the assumptions that the defendants could escape are unfounded.
"Nobody is afraid that they will escape and continue to commit crimes, because they are not criminals. But in fact, this is a way of pressuring them because they refused to incriminate themselves and others," said lawyer Emil Kurbedinov.
Earlier, the judge refused the defense to disclose a secret witness under the pseudonym "Ibragimov." According to Emil Kurbedinov, this person is an agent of the state who wanders from one criminal case against Crimean Tatars to another.
"It is convenient for the investigation to classify such witnesses, since they avoid questions that could expose their false testimony and information," Kurbedinov noted.
Criminal cases have been opened against Crimean Tatars for participating in the political party "Hizb ut-Tahrir". It is recognized as a terrorist organization in Russia, but at the same time it operates legally in Ukraine, European countries and the world.
