A Russian military court on Tuesday sentenced a Ukrainian filmmaker to 20 years in a prison colony on terror charges in a trial condemned by Kiev, Western rights groups and top film directors.
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In a defiant act, two Ukrainian men sang their country’s national anthem in a Russian court Tuesday moments after they were sentenced to prison. He also appealed to Russians during that speech, asking them stand up against their government as Ukrainians had done with the corrupt regime of deposed president Viktor Yanukovych past year .
Prominent European film directors, including Mike Leigh, Ken Loach, Andrzej Wajda, Wim Wenders and Bertrand Tavernier called on Russian President Vladimir Putin in an open letter last week to have the charges against Sentsov dropped and to free him “immediately and unconditionally”.
Such lengthy prison sentences are rare in Russian Federation even for politically tainted trials. Earlier this month, Afanasyev recanted his testimony alleging he gave it after being tortured. “The time will come when those who organized this trial against you will themselves sit in the dock”.
“Glory to Ukraine”, Sentsov said at the end, to which someone in the courtroom gave the traditional response: “Glory to the heroes”.
“That’s it, in 20 minutes they handed down a strict sentence of 20-years”.
Russian Federation last week jailed Estonian police officer Eston Kohver, who said he was abducted and taken over the border – Russian Federation said he had crossed the border as part of a spying mission. According to media reports, prosecutors incredulously argued that Sentsov’s visible wounds were the result of a long-standing involvement in sadomasochistic sexual practices. He said he had never been a member of the Right Sector and that the investigators had no evidence against him.
He also claimed he was tortured and pressured into confessing. His lawyer, Alexander Popkov, told radio station Ekho Moskvy on August . 8 his client was beaten during questioning, drugged, forced to wear a gas mask pumped full of smoke, stripped naked, deprived of sleep and threatened with rape.
“The men have been subjected to an unfair trial on “terrorism” charges relating to their opposition to Russia’s occupation of Crimea”, the rights group said. No one was injured in either attack.
Sentsov, 39, a native of Crimea, was active in protesting against Russia’s illegal annexation of the peninsula in March 2014 and was arrested by authorities in May 2014 for plotting to fire-bomb Russian organizations and destroy a Lenin statute in Crimea.
In the lead-up to the annexation he had helped deliver food and supplies to Ukrainian servicemen who were isolated at their Crimean bases.
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Despite being Ukrainian citizens, the men were taken to Russian Federation to stand trial.
