Contents tagged with political prisoners

  • PACE adopts resolution calling on Russia to release Ukrainian political prisoners

    The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a draft resolution on June 28 in Strasbourg calling on Russia to release Ukrainian political prisoners, reported the TV channel 112 Ukraine.

    Seventy-seven PACE members voted in favor of the corresponding decision, while fifteen abstained. The relevant report was read out loud in the chamber prior to the vote; a debate on the topic was then held following the announcement.

    The resolution, which was prepared by the Commission on …

  • Kremlin: Jagland's letter cannot serve as basis for pardoning Sentsov

    Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov has said he did not know whether the letter sent by Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland asking Putin to pardon Ukrainian political prisoner Oleg Sentsov had reached the Kremlin, but noted that "in the view of Russian legislation it is not a basis for any legal action," Peskov told this to reporters on Tuesday, reports Interfax-Ukraine.

    "It must have been sent through diplomatic channels. I have not seen this letter yet, …

  • Internal documents reveal that the Russia recognizes Sentsov as a citizen of Ukraine

    The Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia indicates that political prisoner Oleg Sentsov is a citizen of Ukraine, Sentsov's lawyer, Dmitry Dinze wrote on Facebook.

    The Office of the Federal Penitentiary Service for the Yamalo-Nenets District of the Ministry of Justice issued a certificate to the consulate of Ukraine in Yekaterinburg that confirms that Oleg Sentsov is a citizen of Ukraine.

    "The convicted Sentsov O.G is a citizen of Ukraine. He arrived in prison on October 9, 2017. In his …

  • Poroshenko promises Ukrainian national Balukh, imprisoned by Russia, that he will do everything possible to free him

    Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has promised Ukrainian political prisoner Volodymyr Balukh, who is on a hunger strike in a Crimean detention center, that he will do everything possible for his release.This was the President’s reaction to Balukh's letter from the detention center:

    "I thank the unconquered Volodymyr Balukh for his letter, and even more so – for his courage. We will continue our struggle for the liberation of all Ukrainian hostages held in the Russian Federation, as well as …

  • Sentsov refuses to ask Putin for pardon

    Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov, who has been sentence to 20 years in prison in Russia, refuses to write a petition for a pardon, stated his lawyer, Dmitry Dinze, reports Interfax.

    "Oleg is against a pardon. he will not write anything to the [Russian] President," Dinze said. According to the lawyer, Sentsov's condition remains unchanged.

    "He says he basically lays down, because he started having problems with his kidneys and heart. He had a crisis on the 26th day of the hunger strike. He was …

  • Council of Europe Secretary General to officially request Sentsov’s release

    On June 25, Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe (CE), will send Russian President Vladimir Putin an official request to pardon Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov, a senior CE official told Deutsche Welle.

    “On Monday, Jagland will file a petition for the pardoning of Sentsov,” Deputy Secretary General Daniel Holtgen announced. He also pointed out that the Secretary General has a right to do so according to the European Convention on Human Rights.

    On June 20, Jagland …

  • Poroshenko and Putin discuss prisoner situation over phone

    On Thursday June 21, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko asked Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone to ensure that Ukrainian Ombudsperson Lyudmyla Denisova is given access to Oleg Sentsov and other Ukrainian prisoners, Poroshenko’s press service reported.

    “The head of the Ukrainian state urged [Putin] to release the Ukrainian prisoners held in Russian prisons and in its occupied territories. He also pointed out the importance of giving Human Rights Commissioner Lyudmyla Denisova …

  • European Court of Human Rights asks Russia to provide information about Sentsov's health

    The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is asking the Russian authorities to provide all available information about the state of health of the Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov, who is on the 38th day of a hunger strike, reported Natasha Dobreva, Sentsov’s lawyer at the ECHR and a representative of the international human rights group Agora.

    "The Court sent a request to the Government of Russia on information on compliance with the requirements of articles 2 (the right to life), 3 ( …

  • Vice Speaker of Ukrainian Parliament: Sentsov will not ask Putin for pardon

    Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov, who has been convicted by Russia of "terrorism," will not ask Russian President Vladimir Putin for clemency which will allow him to be exchanged for Russian prisoners in Ukraine, wrote First Vice Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Iryna Herashchenko on her personal Facebook page.

    “Putin's Press Secretary [Dmitry] Peskov states that [Oleg] Sentsov ‘must take care of his pardon himself,’ hinting that Oleg should have appealed to the Russian president with such a …

  • Kyiv asks UN to ensure that Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia have access to doctors

    Ambassador of Ukraine Yuriy Klimenko appealed to the United Nations with a request to ensure that doctors have access to the Ukrainian political prisoners who are in Russia, reported the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the UN and other international organizations in Geneva.

    “Since every hour is crucial for Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia whose health continues to deteriorate, we appeal to the UN special rapporteur and call for ways to ensure their right to health care and access to …