Ecologist Ivan Karpenko claims that court protracts with considering his detention case in Sochi

The police is deliberately delaying the magistrate trial on the protocol compiled under the article of "Disobedience to lawful demands of the police", said Ivan Karpenko, an activist of the "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus", who was detained in Sochi on his way to the rally in Kudepsta.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in Sochi the police detained a car with three activists of the "Yabloko" Party - Alexei Mandrigelya, Victor Chirikov and Polina Moroz. Later, the ecologist Ivan Karpenko was detained and charged with resistance to the police. According to "Yabloko" members, in this manner the police tried to prevent their participation in the protest rally against construction of thermal-and-power plants (TPP) in Kudepsta.

"Today in the morning I had a call from the police who demanded that I appear at the court session in Khosta at 10:30 a.m.," said Ivan Karpenko.

According to his story, the court session started around 12:40 a.m. and lasted until 1:25 p.m. "No witnesses and nobody at all were let in; they stood outside waiting," said Karpenko.

The Magistrate Judge of Khosta Nikolai Volkov, who considered the administrative protocol drawn up under Article 19.3 of the Russian Administrative Code (Disobedience to legal demands of the police), sent the case materials to supplement, said the ecologist. The date of the next session is still unknown.

Ivan Karpenko believes that "the police are deliberately delaying the magistrate court procedure." He added that "during inspection of his belongings, policemen stole the flash memory from his photo camera, where his detention was photographed."

The press service of the Chief Department for the Krasnodar Territory of the Russian MIA refused to make any comments to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent on Ivan Karpenko's statement, asking to turn to Karpenko's representative. The latter, in his turn, was inaccessible for comments.