Founder of Russian Ren-TV urges Putin to release Savchenko
The founder of Russia’s Ren-TV company, Irena Lesnevskaya, has written an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin asking for the release of Ukrainian citizen, Nadia Savchenko. Savchenko was charged in Russia with the murders of two Russian journalists.
The letter was posted on Facebook on Sunday. “While the whole world is looking, Nadia Savchenko is dying as a result of her dry hunger strike in a Russian prison. I call on every humane and Christian part of you to stop this lawlessness and to immediately exchange Nadia for Russian war soldiers. If not that, then declare an amnesty! Do not humiliate Russia, its men or its officers who still have honor!” the letter said.
In an interview with Russia’s Radio Liberty, Lesnevskaya said that she felt ashamed for all that had happened to Savchenko while she was in Russia. That was her motivation for writing the letter.
Protests for Savchenko’s release took place in Kiev and a number of other Ukrainian cities. Protests also occurred in St. Petersburg, Prague and other parts of Russia.
Nadiya Savchenko has been charged with the murder of two Russian journalists as well as charges of attempted murder of members of the separatists group and of illegally crossing the Russian border. It is widely believed that Savchenko was in fact captured by Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) separatists in eastern Ukraine and was illegally transported to Russia, where the case was fabricated against her.
On Wednesday, the prosecutor’s office requested that she be sentenced to 23 years in a penal colony plus a fine of 100,000 rubles ($1,400).
Savchenko declared a dry hunger strike starting March 3rd after the Donetsk City Court in the Rostov region announced that she would not be given a chance to make her final closing statement during a court hearing.