Ukrainian activist expected to be released after court suspends sentence
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 26 June 2018 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Ukrainian activist expected to be released after court suspends sentence, 26 June 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5bc04fcba.html [accessed 22 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
June 26, 2018 11:40 GMT
By Crimea Desk, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
Ihor Movenko
A jailed Ukrainian activist is expected to be released after a court in Russian-controlled Crimea shortened and suspended his politically charged prison sentence.
A court in Sevastopol ruled on June 26 that Ihor Movenko's two-year prison sentence must be replaced by a one-year suspended sentence.
Movenko's lawyer, Oksana Zheleznyak, said she expected he will be released on June 27.
In early May, Movenko was convicted of promoting extremism and sentenced to two years in prison.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry protested the verdict and said it would work to secure Movenko's release.
Critics accuse the Russian authorities of fabricating charges against Ukrainian citizens as a reprisal for their opposition to Moscow's takeover of the Black Sea peninsula.
Russia seized Crimea in March 2014 after sending in troops, taking over key facilities, and staging a referendum deemed illegitimate by at least 100 countries in the United Nations.
The takeover of Crimea and Russian support for separatists in eastern Ukraine prompted the United States, the European Union, and others to impose targeted sanctions against selected Russian individuals and companies.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
