15:05, 16 June 2017

Court of Appeal upholds sentence to Krasnodar rights defender

The Krasnodar Regional Court. Photo © Yelena Sineok, YUGA.ru

The Krasnodar Regional Court has upheld the verdict against human rights defender Vladislav Nikitenko, who defended Kuban activist Darya Polyudova. He was found guilty of contempt of court, obstruction of justice, and use of violence against a policeman.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in March 2016, Vladislav Nikitenko was sent to a psychiatric examination by a court decision. According to Vladislav Nikitenko, on the day of the appointed examination, he was to act as a defender of Darya Polyudova. On March 2, Vladislav Nikitenko was sentenced to six years of imprisonment in a penal colony and a fine of 1.2 million roubles.

"The court has found out that Vladislav Nikitenko... defamed and insulted participants of the court hearings. Upon the commission of the crimes, Vladislav Nikitenko fled from the preliminary investigation and was on the federal wanted list. On July 14, 2016, he was detained in Kursk and when he was brought to Krasnodar, he used violence against a policeman by causing a head injury," reports the website of the Prosecutor's Office for the Krasnodar Territory.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.