Russian court upholds Ukrainian journalist's 12-year sentence
| Publisher | Reporters Without Borders |
| Publication Date | 13 September 2018 |
| Cite as | Reporters Without Borders, Russian court upholds Ukrainian journalist's 12-year sentence, 13 September 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5bc6ef44a.html [accessed 23 May 2023] |
| 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. |
September 13, 2018
Russia's supreme court yesterday upheld Ukrainian journalist Roman Sushchenko's sentence of 12 years in a maximum-security prison camp on a charge of spying. Like the original trial, the supreme court hearing was held behind closed doors.
"The complete opaqueness of these proceedings raises major doubts about the accusations against Roman Sushchenko," said Johann Bihr, the head of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk at Reporters Without Borders (RSF). "It is all the more unacceptable because he has already spent two years in detention. If the Russian authorities still cannot produce credible proof of this journalist's guilt, it is high time for them to free him."
Russia is ranked 148th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2018 World Press Freedom Index.
