Kyiv, Ukraine: The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine has demanded again an end to the persecution of Ukrainian journalists and bloggers imprisoned under Russian authorities.
During its an expanded meeting of the Board in Kyiv on April 25, the Union demanded an end to the persecution of Ukrainian journalists and bloggers imprisoned in Russian occupied Crimea and on the territory of Donbass uncontrolled by Ukraine.
The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine expresses solidarity with the persecuted colleagues and calls upon international organizations and diplomatic missions to support the demands and increase pressure on the authorities of the Russian Federation for the immediate release of Ukrainian journalists and bloggers imprisoned in Russia, occupied by Russia to the Crimea and on the uncontrolled Ukraine territory of Donbass.
It may be remembered that unlawful criminal prosecution is faced by Ukrainian Journalists in Russian authorities including Roman Sushchenko, Stanislav Aseev, Oleg Galazyuk, Nikolay Semyon, as well as Crimean Tatar civilian journalists in Crimea – Server Mustafayev, Nariman Memedeminov, Crimean Tatar activists-bloggers of the public association Crimean Solidarity and others.
The pressure on these journalists and bloggers has been repeatedly condemned by international institutions, including the International Federation of Journalists, the European Federation of Journalists, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, and the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission.
The journalistic community of Ukraine demands:
- to release Roman Sushchenko, a correspondent for the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform, illegally convicted in the Russian Federation to 12 years in prison,
- stop the persecution of Nikolai Semyony, a journalist of the Radio Liberty project Krim.Realii in the temporarily occupied Crimea, who was banned by the court from leaving the peninsula and engaging in activities, as well as Crimean Tatar citizen journalists Server Mustafayev, Nariman Memedeminov and other activists of the bloggers of the Crimean Solidarity association, held by the Russians. prison authorities;
- use all the levers of influence on the de facto power of the illegal “DPR” grouping in the temporarily occupied Donetsk for the release of Radio Liberty journalist Stanislav Asseev and freelance writer Radio Liberty Oleg Galazyuk.
