On 30 January, the supreme court in Russia-controlled Crimea rejected an appeal filed by Oleksandr Solodkov, the lawyer of Crimean Tatar activist Mustafa Degermendzhy, a suspect in the so-called "26 February case". The lawyer challenged the lower court's ruling to extend his client's house arrest until 7 April, an LB.ua correspondent has reported.
Degermendzhy insists that after two years in a remand centre, his health condition has deteriorated and he needs to undergo a medical examination, however Simferopol's Tsentralnyy district court would not let him.
The court only allowed him to leave the house located outside the city for three hours during three days each, which is not enough for a proper examination.
Degermendzhy was among Crimean Tatar activists who were arrested over the events outside the Crimean parliament on 26 February 2014 when pro-Russian supporters clashed with those who supported the Ukrainian authorities, among them Crimean Tatars.