Vitishko's advocates to appeal against the refusal to release him

The defence of Evgeny Vitishko decided to appeal, at the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, the refusal of the Krasnodar Territorial Court to release the ecologist.

Sergey Mitrokhin, the chairman of the "Yabloko" Party, Evgenia Chirikova, the leader of the movement "In Defence of Khimki Forest", and Mikhail Savva, the director of grant programmes of the Southern Regional Resource Centre, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the refusal of the Territorial Court was politically motivated.

At the Wednesday's court session, the defence insisted that the real prison term is "a disproportional punishment for inscription on the fence."

Sergey Mitrokhin expressed hope that the Supreme Court would "take an adequate decision." According to the chairman of the "Yabloko" Party, activists and party members continue holding actions in support of Evgeny Vitishko.

However, Evgenia Chirikova, an ecologist and the leader of the movement "In Defence of Khimki Forest", is sceptical about the decision to challenge the refusal of the Territorial Court at the Russia's Supreme Court, stating that Vitishko has ideas how to prevent oil companies to implement their plans; and in the last court judgment "reveals the authorities' desire to shut up the ecologist."