23 December 2015, 23:55
After leaving colony, Vitishko intends to complete his report on Sochi Olympics
Today, the ecologist Evgeny Vitishko, released from colony-settlement No. 2 of the Department for the Tambov Region of the Federal Penitentiary Service (known as FSIN), has arrived in Krasnodar. Vitishko told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that he feels well, despite his 20-day-long hunger strike – he has lost 9 kilos of body weight, but feels full of energy and plans. He intends to continue his nature-protection activities.
Evgeny Vitishko, an activist of the "Ecological Watch on for Northern Caucasus" (EcoWatch), was sentenced for damaging in 2011 the fence around the territory, known as the "dacha" of Alexander Tkachov, who was then the Governor of the Krasnodar Territory. In December 2013, the Court replaced the Evgeny Vitishko's conditional sentence with the real imprisonment term, and the ecologist was transferred to the Tambov Region. On November 10 the Kirsanov District Court of the Tambov Region decided to replace the unserved part of Vitishko's term by restriction of his freedom. On December 22, activist was released. The rest of his term will be served by the ecologist in the Tuapse District of the Krasnodar Territory.
"I need to finalize my report on the impact of the Olympic construction in Sochi on the ecology, which was presented during the Games in an abridged version. I'll continue this work in cooperation with the Moscow State University," Evgeny Vitishko told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
He has assured that he never stopped his environmental and human rights activities in the colony – he helped convicts to formulate their complaints and draw up other documents, dealt with the dump in the village of Kirsanovsky, which was later liquidated by the prescription of the prosecutor's office.
He treats his placement into colony as "an act of demonstrational punishment."
"This was also a 'lesson' to all civil activists: the authorities have shown that the same can be done with everyone who is against the system. The colony failed to break me; I was quite aware that I may be repressed. That's my job, disliked by many," said Vitishko.
He intends to seek for his full rehabilitation, since he is sure that his guilt was not proved; and his prosecution was politically motivated and illegal.
Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.
Author: Anna Gritsevich Source: CK correspondent
