Ukraine: Separatists free blogger held since November 2016
| Publisher | Reporters Without Borders |
| Publication Date | 27 December 2017 |
| Cite as | Reporters Without Borders, Ukraine: Separatists free blogger held since November 2016, 27 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5b8503cefd.html [accessed 21 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. |
December 27, 2017
Eduard Nedeliayev, a blogger who had been held for more than a year by separatist forces in the eastern city Lugansk, was released today in a prisoner exchange with the Ukrainian government.
"We are glad that Eduard Nedeliayev can finally be reunited with his family even if nothing will be able to compensate for the many months spent in detention," said Johann Bihr, head of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk at Reporters Without Borders (RSF). "We call on the separatists to now release the journalist Stanislav Aseyev as well."
Arrested by the self-proclaimed "Lugansk People's Republic" in November 2016, Nedeliayev was sentenced to 14 years in prison on charges of spying and inciting hatred. Aseyev, a reporter for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, is being held on similar charges by the "Donetsk People's Republic."
