The U.S. Embassy to Ukraine calls on Russia to provide the necessary medical assistance to Crimean activist, political prisoner Volodymyr Balukh.
“We urge Russia to provide urgently needed medical care to political prisoner Volodymyr Balukh, whose health situation is precarious after being placed in solitary confinement on a diet of bread and water,” the Embassy said on Twitter on May 15.
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.
On October 3, 2018, the so-called Supreme Court of Crimea commuted Balukh’s sentence by one month.
In October 2018, Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova said after the decision of the so-called Supreme Court to commute Balukh’s sentence he would be able to apply for parole.
However, on January 25, 2019, the Russia-controlled Kerch city court refused to release Balukh on parole.
Since March 29, 2019 Balukh has been staying in the penal colony in the town of Torzhok, Tver region (the Russian Federation).
