Brussels, 13/02/2014 (Agence Europe) - On 13 February, the European Union criticised the transformation of the three-year suspended prison sentence given to environmental protester Evgeny Vitischko into a fixed prison term on the basis of a misdemeanour that he allegedly committed, a European source stated. “This sentence appears disproportionate and seems aimed at preventing Vitischko from presenting his report on the environmental impact of the [Sochi] Olympic Games”, said the source. “We reiterate the priority we attach to Russia respecting its international human rights commitments on freedom of assembly, expression and association, before, during and after the Sochi Games”, the source added.
On 12 February, the regional court of Krasnodar upheld on appeal the three-year prison sentence of Vitischko. Vitischko criticised the impact on the environment of the preparation for the current Olympic Games in Sochi. (CG/transl.fl)