The court in Antalya released from custody seven citizens of the Russian Federation, who were suspected of setting fire to the forest. They chose a preventive measure unrelated to detention, TASS reports, referring to human rights activist Ivan Melnikov.
The Russians were released thanks to the efforts of the Russian Foreign Ministry, human rights defenders and the public. Melnikov expressed hope that this court decision will be followed by the dismissal of the charges, since the grounds for criminal prosecution look controversial.
Earlier, Turkish media reported that Russian tourists arrested on suspicion of unintentional arson of the forest pitched tents and lit a bonfire in the national park in Antalya, which caused a large fire to break out, which was eliminated with the help of an airplane and three helicopters.
The tourists themselves said that they were only trying to put out a fire that they noticed in the forest. The lawyers of the Russians appealed their detention and asked the court to transfer the defendants to house arrest. According to the indictment, citizens of the Russian Federation face a sentence of two to seven years in prison.