3 minutes agoAlbania: Arrested by Russians charged with spying, investigations continue
Periskopi(3 years ago)
(3 years ago)After nine months in custody, two Russian citizens, Svetlana Timofeeva and Mikhail Zorin, as well as Ukrainian national Fedir Alpatov, have been released on the decision of the Elbasan Court in Albania. Three persons accused by the Albanian authorities of spying have ended their detention deadline, and for this reason Judge Matilda Fetah ordered their release, [...]
The three persons accused by Albanian authorities of spying have ended their detention deadline, and for that reason, Judge Matilda Fetah ordered their release, following the request made by the Elbasan Prosecutor, in argument that the security measure “prison arrest” has lost legal power because the deadlines have been exceeded.
However, investigations into the charges brought against three bloggers will continue.
Timofeeva and Alpatov will be investigated in a free state.
They will appear once a month in the judicial police and are forbidden to leave Albania.
For Mikhail Zorin, security measure “house arrest”.
He has handed over the lease contract to the tribunal in his apartment and cannot get out of it, on the basis of the security measure imposed on him.
The prosecution has stated, in the request handed down to the court, to release the three accused that preliminary investigations have not ended due to “the complexity of the” case.
Shortly ago, the Elbasan Court took into account Russian national Svetlana Timofeeva's request not to be extradited to Russia.
She claimed that if extradited, she would be persecuted and life would be risked after maintaining attitudes against the Russian president's regime, Vladimir Putin.
Svetlana Timofeeva, 33, from Russia, was arrested on August 20, 2022, along with two other citizens -- Mikhail Zorin, 23, from Russia, and Fedir Aplatov from Ukraine -- after attempting to enter the weapons plant facilities in Grams and throw neuro-premative spray on the two soldiers who were guarding this military object.
They were caught photographing the Grams plant, while some material of some important points known as critical military infrastructure was found in their personal belongings in Albania.
They're charged with “hating secret information”, and “either due to task”.
The three spies accused, and their lawyers, object to the charges and have claimed that detainees are bloggers, and like to photograph military items.
