In Rostov-on-Don, defendant in case of planned terror act goes on hunger strike

The North-Caucasian District Military Court has dismissed several motions filed by Ukrainian citizen Arthur Panov, charged of plotting a terror act in the centre of Rostov-on-Don. After that, the defendant declared the beginning of a dry indefinite hunger strike.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Arthur Panov, who came to Rostov-on-Don from Ukraine in November 2015, was detained on December 5, 2015. He was charged with preparing a terror act. At the court hearing held on February 14, Arthur Panov filed a motion to recognize him a prisoner of war and demanded to transfer the trial in his case to Moscow. Besides, the defendant has also requested not to keep him in a "cage" during court hearings because of his disease.

The Court has considered all three motions filed by Arthur Panov. The public prosecutor asked the Court to dismiss the defendant's motion and noted that, in particular, keeping of Arthur Panov in a "cage" refers to the competence of convoy and that he was detained "not in time of war." As a result, the Court dismissed the motions filed by Arthur Panov, reports the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, who attended the court hearing.

After that, Arthur Panov read out an announcement on the beginning of dry indefinite hunger strike.

"Prior to the start of the trial against me, which I treat as illegal by a number of reasons, I, Arthur Alekseevich Panov, a citizen of Ukraine, declare an indefinite hunger strike since February 14, 2017, with the demand to return me to Ukraine. I will treat pressure on me to force me to stop my hunger strike as the use of torture. In case of my death as a result of my hunger strike, I forbid bury me in Russia," Arthur Panov read out in Russian from a sheet of paper.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.