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The Tribunal for Putin (T4P) global initiative was set up in response to the all-out war launched by Russia against Ukraine in February 2022.

Pensioner jailed in Russian-occupied Crimea for expressing support for Ukraine in a shop

03.07.2024   
Halya Coynash
The prosecution of 63-year-old Anatoliy Holiakovych and, seemingly, his son, underscores the pro-Ukrainian and anti-war sentiments in occupied Crimea, and the sinister methods Russia uses to fight them

The words in a shop that, under Russian occupation, are taped and used to imprison critics, Anatoliy Holiakovych in the video he was forced to make

The words in a shop that, under Russian occupation, are taped and used to imprison critics, Anatoliy Holiakovych in the video he was forced to make

63-year-old Anatoliy Holiakovych has been sentenced in occupied Alushta to 15 days’ imprisonment for comments to a shop assistant spoken in Ukrainian and showing the pensioner’s opposition to Russia’s occupation of Ukrainian Crimea.  This was deemed to fall under ‘petty hooliganism’ and constitute actions that showed “clear disrespect’ to the public, state, official state symbols of the Russian Federation, its constitution and authorities.  Two administrative prosecutions were ‘heard’ on 25 June, with it likely that the charge and 30 thousand rouble fine for supposedly ‘discrediting the Russian army’, etc. was against Anatoliy Stanislavovych Holiakovych’s son, Hryhory Anatolievych Holiakovych.

The fact that a pensioner can be persecuted for expressing a pro-Ukrainian position in his own native Crimea is already chilling, as is the role played in this by notorious collaborator Aleksandr Talipov and his ‘Crimean SMERSH’ vigilantes.  However, Crimean Realities has rightly noted another sinister element, namely that the charges against Anatoly Holiakovych derived from CCTV footage in a grocery store which did not just record his movements, but also what he said.  

There is no attempt to conceal the close collaboration between Crimean SMERSH vigilantes hunting down Crimeans with pro-Ukrainian and / or anti-war views and the Russian occupation ‘enforcement bodies’ and ‘courts’.  The CCTV footage was posted on Talipov’s Crimean SMERSH Telegram channel on 25 June, the same day as the ‘court’ hearings.  Anatoliy Holiakovych (b. 1961) is asked by the cashier in Russian whether he wants to pay cash or by card.  He answers in Ukrainian saying that he’ll pay cash, that “we live according to the Ukrainian way, not Russian”.  When the cashier says that “we live in Russia”, he answers that “sold out is sold out, but we will live to see them” [almost certainly meaning the Ukrainian Armed Forces and / or the return of Ukrainian control over Crimea.

Crimean SMERSH claims that Holiakovych also called himself a Crimean Bandera supporter and that “Russians will choke in blood”.  This is not on the tape and seems unlikely since Talipov would certainly have posted it.   Talipov ends by telling “comrade major’ (from the occupation enforcement bodies) that It’s his move.  All of this is, of course, since that post, then the one stating that the pensioner had been detained and another video when ‘officers’ from Russia’s so-called ‘centre for countering extremism’ detain him were all posted after the charges against him had already reached the occupation ‘Alushta municipal court’.

During the second, rather distressing, video, two ‘anti-extremist centre officers’ have burst into Holiakovych’s home.  One of them tells the 63-year-old that his “constitutional rights are restricted”, sneeringly using the word in Ukrainian.  The other starts demanding that he answer the question ‘Whose is Crimea?”  Correctly stating that Crimea is Ukraine has already led to criminal charges since Russia’s invasion and annexation, and Holiakovych was silent for a minute before emphatically answering “Crimea is mine”.

In posting this, Talipov claimed that Holiakovych had “denied Russia’s territorial integrity, stated that Crimea is Ukraine, insulted Russians”.

This nonsense was reflected in the administrative charge against him, under Article 20.1 § 3 of Russia’s administrative code.  As mentioned, although this purports to be about ‘petty hooliganism’, paragraph 3 envisages prosecution essentially for critical comments about the Russian Federation and Russian authorities. 

The ‘court’ report states only that ‘the case’ was registered and ‘heard’ on 25 June, and a that a ruling was passed.  Media reports say that the 63-year-old was sentenced to 15 days’ imprisonment, an excessive sentence, even according to the Russian code, and especially shocking, given the words that prompted the prosecution.

The name of the person found guilty by the same ‘judge’ Svetlana Sergeevna Vashchenko of ‘discrediting the Russian armed forces’ would suggest that he is Anatoliy Holiakovych’s son.  Nothing more, however, is known about Hryhory Anatolievcyh Holiakovych or about the charges.  Article 20.3.3 is one of four new charges rushed into law within 10 days of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.  It is used extremely widely in occupied Crimea for any expression of pro-Ukrainian views or anti-war position.

Crimean SMERSH is working very closely with Russia’s ‘centre for countering extremism’ and other occupation enforcement bodies, with Talipov’s videos clearly aimed at creating an atmosphere of fear and distrust, to dissuade others from expressing pro-Ukrainian views.  A typical element of such collaboration is the videoed ‘apologies’ that those hunted down by Crimean SMERSH or detained by the ‘centre’.  Men and women are forced to ‘publicly repent’ and even ‘apologise to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.   The video with Anatoliy Holiakovych was posted by Talipov on 26 June.  It can only be guessed on each occasion whether the victims were subjected to physical duress, or simply threatened with criminal prosecution, and long sentences, if they didn’t provide such ‘apologies.’

See also:

Crimean sentenced to 5 years for Ukrainian Yellow Ribbon activism against Russian occupation

64-year-old pensioner jailed in Russian-occupied Crimea for social media posts of a Ukrainian Trident and thanking Ukraine's defenders

Crimean Tatar imprisoned for refusal to ‘publicly repent’ protest over Russia’s war against Ukraine

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