UHHRU lawyers helped to acquit disabled person of the first disability group Vitaly Rumyantsev in high-profile case concerning illegal cultivation of hemp for treatment of a pain syndrome.
#Rumyantsev case is a trial of a disabled person of the first group of disability on a falsified charge of illegal cultivation of cannabis (article 310 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). Details are provided here: https://youtu.be/gwZ-tQfH8c4
In the city of Voznesensk of Mykolaiv oblast the court proceedings lasted for 2 years involving a disabled person Vitaly Rumyantsev: he smoked marijuana to ease pain in joints, and one and a half year ago planted at his landplot eight bushes of hemp. Rumyantsev was reported by a neighbor, the police came to him with a search. Eight bushes were added up with wild hemp, and turned into three hundred.
The fight for restoration of justice in “Rumyantsev’s case” subsequently turned into a war of attrition of the accused. He lives in a remote village, 60 kilometers from the court, it is difficult for him to speak and move without help. Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union – UHHRU provides legal defense to the accused in the court.
Rumyantsev was almost sentenced to seven years, but human rights activists stepped in: they started visiting court sessions and made the proceedings public.
Later Rumyantsev was accused of growing 18 bushes – there is a criminal liability for that, but the accused can get off with a fine. Rumyantsev denied the charges and by his case tried to draw attention to the law on legalization of medical cannabis. MPs of the previous convocation sent it for revision, in the Parliament of the current convocation they do not even want to register it. Hundreds of patients with pain syndrome, such as Rumyantsev, are claiming the right to be treated with marijuana, while Ukrainian courts are hearing the cases about home-grown cannabis.
On December 17, 2019, Voznesensky court fully acquitted Vitaly Rumyantsev. The court found evidence to be inadmissible, and the fact of growing exactly 18 bushes unproven. The court also agreed with the argument of human rights defenders about the violated right to protection.
The article uses information and photos of the Babel portal
Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union implements the project “Development of the legal network for protection of the people living with HIV/AIDS, representatives of key PLHIV communities and persons ill with TB” with the financial support of the Charitable organization “All-Ukrainian Network of the People Living with HIV/AIDS” in the framework of implementation of the project “Releasing the Burden of TB and HIV infection through creation of the open access to timely and quality diagnostics and treatment of the TB and its resistant forms, expanding evidence based prevention, diagnostic and treatment of HIV infection, and creation of stable and sustainable health protection systems”, which is implemented with the financial support of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.
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