Prison for Crimea: ex-minister of Israel "shines" to five years

Deputy Yaakov Margi. Photo: rk.gov.ru

For the first time in history: the prosecutor's office of a foreign state opened a criminal investigation on charges against the ex-minister of Israel and the current Knesset deputy.

Just a day after of information about the scandalous meeting of the Israeli MP Jacob Marga with the head of the occupying power of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, followed by a fairly quick reaction of the prosecutor's office of Ukraine. The division of the prosecutor's office responsible for the Crimea, published on its website message that “a criminal investigation has been launched into the illegal entry of a delegation of the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) into the territory of the annexed Crimea Peninsula.”

Портал ForumDaily publishes a translation of this message from the Ukrainian language:

“Based on the results of media monitoring conducted by the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, it was established that, despite the existing ban, in violation of international sanctions, on February 10.02.2016, XNUMX, a delegation of the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) visited the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation headed by deputy, chairman of the parliamentary commission on education, culture and sports Yakov Margi.

The Law of Ukraine “On ensuring the rights and freedoms of citizens and the legal regime in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine” establishes a special legal regime for crossing the borders of the temporarily occupied territory of the Crimean Peninsula, which is an integral part of the territory of Ukraine.

Consequently, members of the delegation of the Israeli parliament (Knesset) violated the procedure for entering the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine.

Based on this fact, 12.02.2016 launched a pre-trial investigation into criminal implementation on the grounds of a criminal offense under section 2 of Article 332-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Materials of criminal proceedings in accordance with part 2 of Article 12 of the Law of Ukraine “On ensuring the rights and freedoms of citizens and the legal regime in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine” were sent to the prosecutor’s office of the autonomy with a view to further forwarding them to the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine to determine jurisdiction.”

We note that the first two parts of the article 332-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine are as follows:

"1. Violation of the procedure for entering and leaving the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine with the aim of causing harm to the interests of the state is punishable by restriction of freedom for up to three years or imprisonment for the same period, with confiscation of vehicles.

2. The same actions, committed repeatedly or by prior conspiracy by a group of persons, or by an official using his official position, are punishable by imprisonment for a term of three to five years with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a term of up to three years and with confiscation of vehicles."

Judging by the official report of the Ukrainian prosecutor's office, a prominent deputy from the religious party Shas is charged with actions committed “by prior conspiracy by a group of persons, or by an official using his official position.”

In this way, Ukraine made the ex-Minister of Religious Affairs of Israel in 2009-2013 and Knesset member Yaakov Margi the first in the history of Israel the current parliamentarian and former minister, against whom a foreign state launched a criminal investigation.

As noted portal ForumDaily, Jacob's arrival Marga was at full capacity used by Russian propaganda as a “breakthrough of the information blockade of the Crimea”. The main propaganda channel of the international broadcasting channel of Russia - Russia Today, - dedicated special plot of the meeting of Marga and Aksyonov. Moreover, the private visit of one deputy was called “the arrival of the official delegation of the Israeli Knesset”.

Even if the security forces and law enforcement agencies of Ukraine do not push Yaakov Margi to a prison cell, then this Crimean-Shas scandal itself will become a loud precedent and a clear signal for other Israeli parliamentarians: do not meddle in occupied Crimea in violation of Ukrainian laws and do not participate in political actions of Russian propaganda.

The official position of the State of Israel regarding Crimea has been repeatedly voiced by the Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Eliav Belotserkovsky: “Israel recognizes the territorial integrity of Ukraine and condemns Russia’s annexation of Crimea.”

We note that immediately after the Russian occupation of the peninsula, the Jewish businessman who supported this annexation was deprived of the title of honorary consul of Israel in the Crimea by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the honorary consulate in Crimea was liquidated. New Honorary Consulate of Israel in Lviv was opened in May 2015 of the year.