Alexander Kostenko
Alexander Kostenko, born 1986, Occupied territory of Republic of Crimea. Charges: Article 222 part 1, Russian Criminal Code (Illicit trafficking in firearms or ammunition); Article 282 part 2 item a, Russian Criminal Code (Incitement of hatred or enmity with the use of violence or the threat of violence); “Oleksandr Kostenko's case”. Sentence (February 24, 2016): Three years six months' deprivation of liberty in a general regime penal colony. Status: not in Russia. Recognition: Memorial Human Rights Centre — recognised as a political prisoner, June 23, 2015; Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners — recognised as a political prisoner, May 14, 2015.
In brief
Occupied territory of Republic of Crimea · Simferopol · Law enforcement officers · Extremism cases
Sentence
3 years 6 months
Three years six months' deprivation of liberty in a general regime penal colony
First instance, May 14, 2015: 4 years 2 months
Charges
- Article 222 part 1, Russian Criminal Code — Illicit trafficking in firearms or ammunition
- Article 282 part 2 item a, Russian Criminal Code — Incitement of hatred or enmity with the use of violence or the threat of violence
Full wording of the charges
On February 18th, 2014 during clashes on Mykhailo Hrushevskyi Street in Kyiv, Kostenko threw a stone at a police officer Vitaliy Poliyenko, "sharing the ideology of the Ukrainian radical-nationalist political party "Svoboda" ("Freedom"), which aims to violently overthrow the constitutional order in Ukraine"; illegally possessed a weapon
Latest event
August 3, 2018 — imprisonment ends
Recognition by rights defenders
- Recognised as a political prisoner — Memorial Human Rights Centre, June 23, 2015
- Recognised as a political prisoner — Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners, May 14, 2015
Timeline
· Imprisonment ends
· Persecution ends
· Cassation ruling
sentence changed · 3 years 6 months
· Recognised as a political prisoner
Memorial Human Rights Centre
· First-instance verdict
guilty verdict · 4 years 2 months
· Recognised as a political prisoner
Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners
· Preventive measure: pre-trial detention
· Persecution begins
Oleksandr Kostenko's case
Criminal case
Oleksandr Kostenko's case
Details and sources
Full summary
Oleksandr Kostenko is a former Crimean police officer and former assistant to a deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. According to unconfirmed reports, he participated in the seizure of the Kyiv administration building in December 2013 and in torture of captured Berkut officers. Unconfirmed reports also state that in May of 2014 he was detained in Kyiv by special forces of the Security Service of Ukraine as a pro-Russian saboteur, but was released shortly after that. Allegedly, he participated in the creation of the "Crimea" battalion aimed at returning the peninsula to Ukraine. In early February of 2015 he was detained in Simferopol and accused of inflicting bodily injuries on Vitaliy Poliyenko, a member of the Crimean special unit Berkut, during the events of the Maidan Uprising. While he was in pre-trial detention centre, he wrote complaints of being subjected to violence during detention and in custody. Kostenko was diagnosed with a fractured arm bone. On March 11th he was also charged with illegal possession of weapons. On 15th of May, Kostenko was sentenced to four years and two months of imprisonment in a general regime colony. On 26th of August, the court of second instance reduced the sentence by three months. In October of 2015 the attorney reported that he had lost contact with his client. In November Kostenko was found in a colony in Kirov region. On 25th of February, 2016 the Presidium of the Supreme Court of Crimea reduced the term by another five months, excluding from the charges of "carrying and acquisition of major parts of weapons" as qualifying characteristics.
On August 3rd, 2018 Kostenko was released. On 7th of August, it became known that he crossed the Russian-Ukrainian border.
Since the beginning of March of 2015, there is no contact with Kostenko's father. Contact with him was lost after he gave a press conference in Kiev on the case of his son, and then went to Crimea
All fields of the record
- Citizenship
- Ukraine
Other people prosecuted under Article 222 part 1, Russian Criminal Code
Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.