August 26, 2015
AFUO condemns the Government of the Russian Federation and calls on the Australian Government to do so as well on sentencing of Oleh Sentsov and activist Oleksandr Kolchenko
In light of the heinous sentencing by political trial on false charges of Ukrainian director Oleh Sentsov and activist Oleksandr Kolchenko to 20 years and 10 years respectively, AFUO condemns the Government of the Russian Federation and calls on the Australian Government to do so as well.
If the international community believes in the Minsk agreements, it must demand that Sentsov and Kolchenko – and Ukrainian pilot and MP Nadia Savchenko – be immediately released by the Russian Federation which kidnapped them and unjustly holds them as de facto prisoners of war.
This is an abhorrent abuse of human rights and a return by Putin and his cronies to the show trials of the Soviet era, where kangaroo courts were used to persecute and suppress political dissidents, such as Sentsov and Kolchenko who simply maintain that Crimea is Ukraine.
As the US Government has said: “This is a clear miscarriage of justice. Both Ukrainians were taken hostage on Ukrainian territory, transported to and imprisoned in Russia, and had Russian citizenship imposed on them against their wills. They have reported abuses by Russian authorities who also restricted their access to lawyers, family, and others while in jail for more than a year. Mr. Sentsov and Mr. Kolchenko were targeted by authorities because of their opposition to Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea. The United States stands by those who are persecuted for exercising their rights to speak freely and engage in peaceful protest.”
Putin must feel international consequences for breaking international norms. This includes unplugging Russia from the international financial transfer system, SWIFT, and other sanctions that directly punish his misdeeds.
AFUO encourages community members and concerned Australians to contact their local Federal MP. Ask him or her to:
- a) condemn Sentsov’s and Kolchenko’s sentencing and incarceration in writing to the Ambassador of Russia in Canberra;
- b) raise the matter in a Private Member’s Statement in Federal Parliament.
AFUO supports the initiative of community members to organise peaceful protests outside the diplomatic representation of the Russian Federation.
