Video fragment
Eugene Panov, one of the Ukrainian political prisoners who was illegally detained in the occupied Crimea, meets his birthday for the second consecutive year behind bars in the remand prison. Because of the criminal «saboteur case» fabricated against him, the Ukrainian is in the pretrial detention facility of the city of Simferopol. His brother, Igor Kotelyanets, told to «The Journalist» about circumstances of how Panov became a «saboteur», in what conditions he was held, and what Eugene had to endure during his stay in the remand prison.
«Today Eugene Panov turned 41. He is in Simferopol prison for two years … In 2014, as Ukraine faced the war, Eugene Panov organized an initiative group in our city to protect our city. Then this story begin. Self-defense managed not to let the enemy into the city. In the same year 2014 in August he became a volunteer of the Ukrainian army and took part in the ATO.
He serving in ATO for one year and after he returned, he founded a public organization that helped our servicemen. In addition, in 2014, he helped to those people who wanted to be evacuated from occupied Alchevsk. In 2016 he received a similar request to help people from the Crimea. Eugene went there, but on the border between Ukraine and Crimea, officers of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) hit him with a pipe, put a bag on his head and took him to the basement, where he was tortured for almost 5 days. On the fifth day it became clear why this was done, when Putin, during an appeal to the world community, said that he had caught a Ukrainian terrorist, claiming Ukraine is a terrorist State and there is nothing to talk about with her», – Kotelyanets said.
According to Igor, his brother is constantly being pressured, even tortured, force to recognize himself as a terrorist and testifies against Ukraine. However, even in such circumstances, Eugene Panov does not go on a «deal with the investigation».
«He was warned: if you testify, we will give you 5 years, if you refuse to cooperate with the FSB, then we will give you 20 years. Eugene refused to cooperate, although he has a bad state of health after the torture. He was tortured with an electric shock, was taken out of prison with a bag on his head with imitation of execution. Since he does not agree to cooperate with the FSB, we expect that he will receive a maximum term. Brother says he’s ready for that», – said the brother of the Ukrainian political prisoner.
Over the past year, Eugene Panov’s mother was allowed to see her son several times, but Igor Kotelyanets did not saw his brother during all this time.
«Lawyers advised me not to go there, because Russians can accused me in terrorism. Among relatives of political prisoners and lawyers, there is a rule that only women go to a meeting with prisoner because they are not touched, especially if it is a mother. FSB staff may abuse them, but they are not sent women to the remand prison for any fictitious reasons», – said Kotelyanets.
For more information on Ukrainian political prisoner Eugene Panov, see the story of «The Journalist».
Подписывайтесь на telegram-канал journalist.today
