Report “Crimean Process: Observance of Fair Trial Standards

Report “Crimean Process: Observance of Fair Trial Standards

CRIMEAN PROCESS: Observance of Fair Trial Standards in Politically Motivated Cases УДК 342.72/.73:347.9](477.75-074)»2016/2018»(042.5) К82 Crimean process: observance of fair trial standards in politically motivated cases / Editing by Daria Svyrydova. – Kyiv, 2018. – 74 p. ISBN 978-966-2403-18-3 Representatives of six human rights organizations worked on the report Crimean process: observance of fair trial standards in politically motivated cases: ■ Sergiy Burov, Educational Human Rights House, Chernihiv ■ Sergiy Zayets, Regional Center for Human Rights, Sevastopol-Kiev ■ Sergey Ostaf, Resource Center for Human Rights (CReDO), Chisinau, Moldova ■ Daria Svyrydova, Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union ■ Mariya Yasenovskaya, Kharkiv Regional Foundation “Public Alternative” ■ Tetiana Pechonchyk, Human Rights Information Center Human Rights Information Center Translator: George Khoshtariya Proofreaders: Arthur Rogers, Christina Taylor. Design and layout: Pavel Reznikov. The authors of the report are grateful to the RFE/RL’s project Crimea Realities and journalist Anton Naumlyuk for providing photo illustrations. Cover photo: Member of the Feodosia regional Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Suleiman Kadyrov during a court hearing (by Anton Naumlyuk). This is a summary of the report presenting results of the analysis performed by the team of experts of 9 politically motivated trials in Crimea that took place between 2016 and 2018. The document contains an analysis of compliance with certain fair trial standards, examples based on observation of these trials, as well as conclusions and recommendations for the authorities of Russia and Ukraine and the international community. Working on the report, we used publicly available information, interviews with witnesses, case files, as well as the results of trial monitoring in Crimea conducted by the Crimean Process Initiative Group. One of the report’s objectives was to analyze whether a judicial system created under the conditions of occupation is able to ensure efficient protection of individuals and groups from unlawful politically motivated persecution and from suppression of rights and freedoms in Crimea. This publication will be useful to all interested in the issues of the observance of international human rights standards and the human rights situation in Crimea since 2014. The report was prepared with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and non-governmental organization People in Need. The information and views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic or People in Need. © Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, 2018 © Human Rights Information Center, 2018 CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS USED................................................................................................................................................3 INTRODUCTION �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������4 GENERAL CONCLUSIONS �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������7 RECOMMENDATIONS ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 10 METHODOLOGY ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 12 CASE OVERVIEW ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 16 Case of Volodymyr Balukh �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 16 Case of Suleyman Kadyrov ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 20 Case of Igor Movenko ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 22 Case of Yevhen Panov ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 24 Case of Mykola Semena ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 26 Case of Ilmi Umerov ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 29 Case of Akhtem Chiygoz ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 32 Case of February 26 ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 35 OBSERVANCE OF FAIR TRIAL STANDARDS �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 39 1. Trial by an independent and impartial court established by law ������������������������������������������������� 41 2. Public hearings ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 48 3. Equality of arms ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 57 4. Presumption of innocence ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 68 ANNEX Judges and courts, taking part in the consideration of politically motivated cases, selected for monitoring and analysis within the framework of the report ������������������������������������� 74 ABBREVIATIONS USED ECHR European Convention on Human Rights ECtHR European Court of Human Rights GCIV Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. Geneva, 12 August 1949. ICCPR International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights OSCE Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe UN United Nations PACE Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights CC Criminal Code CPC Criminal Procedure Code FL Federal Law FCL Federal Constitutional Law FSB Federal Security Service CRIMEAN PROCESS: Observance of Fair Trial Standards in Politically Motivated Cases 3 INTRODUCTION This report was prepared by a team of experts These actions by Russia were classified both (hereinafter referred to as team) to analyze at international level3 and by Ukraine4 as an the results of monitoring of a number of tri- occupation of the Crimean peninsula. As a con- als in Crimea that were held between 2016 sequence, Russia is responsible for the obser- and 2018. The subject of monitoring were vance of human rights in this territory and also cases characterized by politically motivated has a number of obligations and restrictions persecution of individuals or groups of indi- under the Convention (IV) relative to the Pro- viduals. tection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of August 12, 19495. Since the end of February 2014, a part of Ukrainian territory – the Autonomous Repub- Numerous reports of human rights organi- lic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol – was zations6, resolutions, and reports of inter- occupied by the troops of the Russian Feder- national and intergovernmental organiza- ation. Later, in March 2014, Russia adopted FCL No. 61 and amended part 1, Art. 65 of the Russian Constitution, declaring Crimea part of 3 UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/68/262 of 27.03.2014, UNGA Russian territory. Since that time, Russia has Resolution A/RES/71/205 of 19 December 2016 https://undocs.org/ ru/A/68/L.39 ; https://undocs.org/ru/A/RES/71/205; Annual report of the exercised effective control over the peninsula, Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court of 14 November with newly created authorities acting on Rus- 2016 (regarding Crimea) https://www.icc-cpi.int/iccdocs/otp/161114-otp- sia’s behalf. After March 18, 2014, Ukrainian rep-pe-ukraine.pdf; Resolution of the PACE 2133 (2016) of 12 October 2016 http://assembly.coe.int/nw/xml/XRef/Xref-XML2HTML-en.asp?file- legislation in occupied Crimea was completely id=23167&lang=en; Resolutions of the European Parliament 2016/2556 replaced by Russian legislation. Since that (RSP) of 4 February 2016 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc. do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2016-0043 time, Russia’s criminal and criminal procedural 4 The Law of Ukraine On Ensuring the Rights and Freedoms of Citizens legislation has applied to criminal cases. On and the Legal Regime in the Temporarily Occupied Territory of Ukraine of May 5, 2014, Russia’s criminal law became ret- 15 April 2014 http://zakon5.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1207-18 5 Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of roactive, as a result of which the Criminal Code War of August 12, 1949 (articles 64-66) http://www.un.org/ru/documents/ also applied to acts committed before the start decl_conv/conventions/geneva_civilian.shtml of the occupation2. 6 See, for example, The Peninsula of Fear: Chronicle of Occupation and Violation of Human Rights in Crimea / Editing by О. Skrypnyk and T. Pechonchyk. Second edition, revised and corrected. – Kyiv: KBC, 2016. – 144 p. https://helsinki.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Peninsula-

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