Evgenii Vitishko
Evgenii Vitishko, born 1973, Krasnodar Krai. Charges: Article 167 (part unknown), Russian Criminal Code (Intentional destruction of or damage to property); “Evgenii Vitishko's case of fence tampering”. Sentence (November 9, 2015): replace the unexecuted part of the sentence with restriction of liberty. Status: at large. Recognition: Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners — recognised as a political prisoner, December 21, 2015; Memorial Human Rights Centre — recognised as a political prisoner, March 5, 2014.
In brief
Krasnodar Krai · Tuapse · Environmentalists
Sentence
3 years
replace the unexecuted part of the sentence with restriction of liberty
First instance, June 19, 2012: 3 years
Charges
- Article 167 (part unknown), Russian Criminal Code — Intentional destruction of or damage to property
Full wording of the charges
together with unidentified persons, "put inscriptions on the back surface of the metal fence: "Sanya is a thief", "Toad", "This is our forest", "This is our land", "Party of thieves", ten stencil images of a bear with the inscription "Enough", as well as put inscriptions on the front surface of the metal fence: "Tkachev, go away", "Crook and Thief", "Enough VIP Dachas!", and bent two sections of the metal fence, thereby deforming the fence" of the cottage of Krasnodar Region Governor Alexandr Tkachev, which is being built illegally on the territory of a protected forest area.
Latest event
January 1, 2016 — persecution ends
Recognition by rights defenders
- Recognised as a political prisoner — Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners, December 21, 2015
- Recognised as a political prisoner — Memorial Human Rights Centre, March 5, 2014
- Recognised as a prisoner of conscience — Amnesty International, February 13, 2014
- Recognised as an eco-prisoner — Ekouznik, January 8, 2014
Timeline
· Persecution ends
· Imprisonment ends
· Recognised as a political prisoner
Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners
· Court ruling
sentence changed · 3 years
· Recognised as a political prisoner
Memorial Human Rights Centre
· Recognised as a prisoner of conscience
Amnesty International
· Recognised as an eco-prisoner
Ekouznik
· First-instance verdict
guilty verdict · 3 years
· Persecution begins
Evgenii Vitishko's case of fence tampering
Criminal case
Evgenii Vitishko's case of fence tampering
Thematic group: The case of the fence at Tkachev's dacha (summer residence)
Details and sources
Full summary
Evgenii Vitishko is a well-known environmentalist in the Krasnodar region, one of the leaders of the Environmental Watch for the North Caucasus, and has run for Yabloko in various elections. In 2011, he took part in a series of actions against the Agrocomplex recreation centre. Environmentalists believed that its construction involved the squatting of territories of the forest fund and the Black Sea coastal strip. According to them, the base is actually a holiday home of the governor of the region, Alexander Tkachev. The actions against "Tkachev's dacha" in 2011 repeatedly ended in detentions and administrative prosecution of activists. Environmentalists Suren Gazaryan and Evgenii Vitishko were criminally prosecuted for putting inscriptions on the fence of Tkachev's dacha and slightly damaging it.
On 20 June 2012, both were sentenced to three years of probation. Suren Gazaryan left Russia and is in Estonia. Vitishko continued his public activities in Krasnodar Krai. In early 2014, on the application of the penal inspection on non-compliance with the regime, his suspended sentence was changed to a penal colony. On 8 October, it became known that Vitishko was transferred from a penal colony to a general regime colony for three penalties, but later this information was not confirmed. Vitishko was denied parole, but on 10 November 2015, part of the term in the penal colony was changed to restriction of freedom. The prosecutor's office challenged this decision the day before Vitishko was due to leave the colony, but on 22 December the court of second instance upheld the decision and Vitishko was released; on 20 January, Vitishko was fitted with an electronic bracelet at the penal inspection office
All fields of the record
- Citizenship
- Russia
Other people prosecuted under Article 167 (part unknown), Russian Criminal Code
Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.