Ro
En
Рy
Sergey Ilchenko, an activist and journalist residing in Transnistria, was released from prison on Saturday, July 18, 2015, informs Dniester.ru. He was arrested four months ago (March 18, 2015) in his apartment in the town of Pervomaisk, and charged with extremism by the law enforcement bodies of the self-proclaimed Transnistrian Republic.
Sergey Ilchenko is widely known as a critic of the current regime in Tiraspol and a partisan of the Ukrainian authorities.
Initially, he was kept in custody at the preliminary detention premises in Tiraspol; later, he was transferred to the prison in the village of Glinnoye.
A number of international organizations, such as the Civil Right Defenders and the International Federation for Human Rights, as well as the US Embassy and the Embassy of Ukraine, and the authorities of Moldova (through the support expressed by Deputy Prime Minister Victor Osipov) were involved in solving this case.
Promo-LEX expressed commitment to defend the journalist in court and even file the case to the ECHR, if needed. Contacted by us, Vadim Vieru, the Promo-LEX lawyer who handled the case, would not provide further details about Mr. Ilchenko's release, due to the need to ensure confidentiality and the personal safety of Mr. Ilchenko.
The media have come up with several versions regarding the release of the journalist. The first is that he must have been released under an amnesty. Another is that he 'must have confessed'. The press also claims that Sergey Ilchenko was detained together with criminals and the prosecution bodies of Transnistria have been pressing him to confess. Ilchenko's relatives stated that the journalist had serious health problems.
Photo Source: Moldova.org
