Abducted Activists "Not Held by Russian Military" in Sevastopol
| Publisher | Institute for War and Peace Reporting |
| Author | Ukrainska Pravda |
| Publication Date | 10 March 2014 |
| Cite as | Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Abducted Activists "Not Held by Russian Military" in Sevastopol, 10 March 2014, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/531efaae4.html [accessed 23 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Journalists and activists from the Automaidan group who were arrested on March 9 at a checkpoint on the approaches to Crimea are not being held at the [Russian] command headquarters in Sevastopol, according to a Facebook post by Anatoly Gritsenko, a member of the group.
Gritsenko had earlier reported that the detainees were to be freed on the morning of March 10. "The latest information is that the individuals detained at the Sevastopol commandant's office are due to be released this morning," he said.
Ukrainska Pravda has been told by friends of missing individuals that efforts to locate them overnight failed. The father of Alexandra Ryazantseva was told she could not be found in Sevastopol. Nor was there any news of the others detained at the checkpoint - Ekaterina Butko, Olena Maximenko, Yevgeny Rakhno and Oles Kromplyas.
Yekatarina Butko's mobile was switched on overnight on March 9-10, but no one was answering, and it went to voice message when activists called it.
Two groups of journalists and activists were detained on March at a checkpoint between Crimea and Kherson - Yekaterina Butko, Alexandra Ryazantseva, Evgeny Rakhno, Oles Kromplyas and Olena Maximenko. They were searched, and one of the group was released because a relative who had Crimean residence arrived by car. The fate of the others is unknown, and the last contact with them was at about 16:00 on March 9.
It was later reported that three detained journalists were taken to the Sevastopol security service offices, while the Automaidan were taken to a Berkut [riot police] base near the checkpoint, and later to the Black Sea Fleet base in Sevastopol.
