Tuapse Court considers case of puncture of car tires, belonging to activist of "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus"

The Tuapse District Court holds trial on the case of puncture of the tires of the car, belonging to an activist the "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus", committed on May 15 during the court session on the criminal case against ecologists Suren Gazaryan and Evgeny Vitishko.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 15, during the trial on the criminal case against ecologists Suren Gazaryan and Evgeny Vitishko, near the Tuapse Court, the tires of the car, belonging to Krasnodar activist Alexander Tynyansky, were punctured. When the activists, coming out of the courthouse, tried to hold the offender, he, according to witnesses, fled in a Hyundai Sonata car with administrative state registration numbers, which was waiting for him. While leaving the place, the driver of the car hit Igor Kharchenko, a 19-year-old activist from Krasnodar. The incident was recorded by surveillance cameras. Later, it became known that the man, who punctured the tires of the activist's car, is Maxim Butov, a local resident, and the car with administrative state registration numbers was driven by Dmitry Glazyrin, the driver of the Tuapse District Administration.

The activists of the "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus" filed a complaint to the law enforcement agencies on the facts of the puncture of tires and the car-pedestrian accident.

On May 31, the court session on the case of the car-pedestrian accident, committed by Dmitry Glazyrin, the driver of the Tuapse District Administration against Igor Kharchenko, the activist of the "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus" and the "Yabloko" Party, held in Tuapse. The activists, who gathered to listen to the court session, were not allowed to enter the courtroom, and that was explained by the small size of the room.

During the court session, Dmitry Glazyrin said that Maxim Butov was not in the car with him and that he did not hit anyone with the car. The court session also listened to Igor Kharchenko himself and witnesses Alexei Samolyanov and Dmitry Samolyanov, who insisted on the fact of the road traffic accident. Igor Kharchenko insisted that the video record of the accident should be attached to the case materials; however, Judge Kutakov, who considered the case, dismissed the motion.

However, as a result, the Magistrate Judge sentenced Dmitry Glazyrin to 10 days of administrative arrest under Part 2 of Article 12.27 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation (driver's leaving a place of the road traffic accident, in which he participated, in violation of traffic rules).

On July 4, the Tuapse District Court started the court session on the second case on the fact of puncture of the car tires. This case is also being considered by Judge Kutakov. According to the case materials, Maxim Butov surrendered to the police and mentioned "personal animosity" as the motive for the committed offence. His actions were determined as "deliberate destruction of or damage to the other people's property, if those acts inflicted significant harm" (Part 1 of Article 167 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

Being summoned as a witness, Dmitry Glazyrin, the driver of the car of the local administration, in which, according to witnesses, Maxim Butov fled, failed to come to the court session. According to the documents, presented by Prosecutor Usenko, at that time, Dmitry Glazyrin was on a business trip in Krymsk. Meanwhile, the Prosecutor asked to sentence Maxim Butov, who punctured the tires of the car, belonging to the activist of the "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus" during the trial on the case against Suren Gazaryan and Evgeny Vitishko, to 1 year of imprisonment to be served in a high security colony.

According to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, the damage from the actions of Maxim Butov was assessed by the aggrieved party in the amount of about 30,000 roubles, including the cost of the tires (about 20,000 roubles), repairs and moral damage. In this case, the victim Alexander Tynyansky and his representatives intend to challenge the qualification of the prosecutors, who believes that Maxim Butov "acted out of his personal animosity." "Our goal at the trial is not to sentence Maxim Butov, but to show the customer the administration of Tuapse," Suren Gazaryan says. He continues: "However, the authorities would prefer to sentence Maxim Butov."