WASHINGTON—The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission, today announced the following briefing:
OLEG SENTSOV AND RUSSIA’S HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
AGAINST UKRAINIAN CITIZENS
Thursday, April 27, 2017
3:00 PM
Senate Visitors Center (SVC)
Room 210
In May 2014, Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov – an outspoken opponent of Russia’s takeover of his native Crimea – disappeared from his hometown of Simferopol only to resurface in Russian custody in Moscow. Convicted on charges of terrorism that the human rights community has condemned as fabricated, Sentsov is now serving a 20-year sentence in a Siberian penal colony.
His case not only stands as a marker for Russia’s reach in silencing dissent abroad, but also illuminates broader issues of Russia’s illegal occupation of Crimea and Eastern Ukraine, and human rights violations against Ukrainian citizens.
The Helsinki Commission briefing will present three perspectives on this disturbing situation and its broader context: from Sentsov’s cousin and chief champion; from a human rights defender investigating cases in the region; and from a member of the Ukrainian parliament.
The following panelists are scheduled to participate:
- Natalya Kaplan, cousin of Oleg Sentsov and journalist in Kiev
- Mustafa Nayyem, Member of Ukrainian Parliament; former journalist and early organizer of the 2013 Euromaidan protests
- Halya Coynash, Spokesperson, Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group
