Russian soldiers patrol outside the navy headquarters in Simferopol on March 19, 2014.
Photo by
AFP
A Russian prosecutor has demanded sentences of 19, 18, and 13 years against three Crimean Tatars who are not accused of any recognizable crime. The three recognized political prisoners: 59-year-old Enver Omerov; his son Riza Omerov and Aider Dzhapparov, are the latest victims of the worst conveyor belt ‘trials’ that Russia has brought to Crimea, with the ‘court’ in Rostov clearly eager to pass sentence, and refusing to hear 10 of the defense witnesses. This is the same Southern District Military Court involved in most political trials of Ukrainians since Russia’s invasion of Crimea, including Enver Omerov’s son-in-law, Rustem Ismailov.