Anton Naumlyuk: The lawyers
Usually, when I write here about political prisoners or those who are persecuted, I initially name them: for instance, Oleg Sentsov or Mykola Karpyuk. But now, simply: the lawyers. Because Nikolai Polozov is now defending the Crimean Tatars in Crimea without any particular information support, without journalists and attention, and he is being haunted by the Russian security forces. The so-called Crimean Supreme Court will hold a session where the issue of subjecting him to an investigation is going to be considered. The investigation was initiated by the FSB.
Lawyer Nikolai Polozov. Photo by TASS
The lawyer Emil Kurbedinov is absolutely heroically working on the peninsula in the Crimean Tatar cases, and more. For example, he is engaged in the case of the journalist Mykola Semena, who was charged with separatism. Emil had to record a video address regarding the pressure on him that had increased after he had taken part in the Vienna OSCE meeting on the freedom of expression. He and his relatives have received threats; he is being pressured to make him leave the lawyers’ panel.
Lawyer Emil Kurbedinov. Photo by Hromadske Radio
Today [on November 3], the lawyer Ivan Pavlov has written that Russian border guards had tried to detain his bride, who works for the consulate of Norway, in Pulkovo Airport of St. Petersburg. They had tried to declare her suspect of attempted trafficking of drugs, tried to bar her lawyer from accessing her, searched her belongings and finally let her go. After this incident, Pavlov himself is joking that the security agents missed their classes in surveillance because when he was traveling by train, one guy was there and watched over him, and two others were somewhere near. Pavlov defended Svetlana Davydova, who was accused of treason for calling to the Ukrainian consulate (if someone has forgotten that case).
Ukrainian political prisoner Mykola Karpyuk and his lawyer Dokka Itslaev. Photo by Anton Naumlyuk
The Chechen judge Vakhit Ismailov issued a particular decision concerning the lawyers Marina Dubrovina and Dokka Itslaev for their engagement in the Karpyuk and Klykh case. This decision threatened them with the deprivation of their status. Only the appeal to the Supreme Court of Russia allowed them to drive back the attack. Mykola Karpyuk was definitely right when he said during the hearing:
I have been judged because I am Ukrainian and patriot, and so have been the lawyers — in order to prevent everyone else from honestly defending innocent people.
Source: Anton Naumlyuk’s Facebook
