Ukrainian Parliamentary Commissioner for human rights Liudmyla Denisova has said that according to a response of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine about the situation with Crimean activist, political prisoner Volodymyr Balukh kept in the penal colony in Tver region (the Russian Federation), the Ukrainian consul was not allowed to visit the prisoner.
“Volodymyr previously said in letters to an activist of the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Crimea that Ukrainian consuls are not allowed to visit him because of his alleged Russian citizenship. The Foreign Ministry told me that the Ukrainian consul was holding a meeting with the head of the colony where Volodymyr is held… The consul turned to the leadership of the colony to be allowed to meet with Balukh, but this was denied,” Denisova wrote on her Facebook page on May 24.
In addition, a representative of the embassy in the colony studied the materials of the inspection of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in Kerch, on the basis of which Balukh was allegedly recognized as a citizen of the Russian Federation. At the same time, the “Russian passport” of the prisoner was not provided, because it was never issued, Denisova said.
The Foreign Ministry told the ombudsman that his lawyer Olga Dinze visited Balukh on May 7. According to her, the state of health of the political prisoner has deteriorated significantly, the administration of the colony exerts psychological pressure on him, and he is not provided with medical assistance.
“The Embassy of Ukraine in the Russian Federation sent a note to the Russian Foreign Ministry outlining the facts of violation of the rights of the citizen of Ukraine Volodymyr Balukh in order to obtain relevant explanations and ensure his meeting with the diplomatic representative of Ukraine,” Denisova wrote.
As reported, Ukrainian political activist Balukh, who placed the Ukrainian flag over his house in the occupied Crimea and refused to take it down on the local authorities’ demands, was detained in December 2016. Crimea’s Rozdolne district court originally sentenced him to three years and seven months of imprisonment in a low-security penal colony and to a fine of 10,000 Russian rubles. Balukh’s defense team said then the case was fabricated, and his verdict would be appealed in courts of higher instances.
Then the Russia-controlled Rozdolne district court changed his sentence to five years in prison in a combination of two criminal cases. The Crimean farmer was accused of illegal possession of weapons and explosives (Part 1 of Article 222 and Part 1 of Article 222.1) and Part 2 of Article 321 (disorganization of the activities of institutions providing isolation from society) of Russia’s Criminal Code.
Since March 29, 2019, Balukh has been staying in the penal colony in the town of Torzhok, Tver region (the Russian Federation).
