The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses its protest against the decision of the so-called “Simferopol District Court” dated February 16, 2022. Based on falsified charges this “court” sentenced the citizen of Ukraine, journalist Mr. Vladyslav Yesypenko for 6 years of imprisonment and payment of a fine of 110 thousand Russian rubles.

Such a verdict is groundless and politically motivated. It is yet another proof of the suppression of freedom of speech in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol.

Mr. Vladyslav Yesypenko was detained on March 10, 2021, by the FSB of the Russian Federation while carrying out journalism activities as a freelancer of Radio Svoboda. He covered human rights violations in Crimea by the Russian occupation administration. The Russian side has unjustifiably accused him in the illegal manufacture and storage of explosives.

Procedural violations during the pre-trial investigation, use of torture to obtain a confession to the alleged commission of a so-called crime, disregard by “the judges” during the trial of the evidences provided by the defense on the defendants' non-involvement in the incriminated acts indicates purely political motivation of the decision to imprison Mr. Vladyslav Yesypenko.

The “court's” decision must be overturned and Mr. Vladyslav Yesypenko, as well as all illegally detained by the Russian Federation citizens of Ukraine must be immediately released.

We call on the international community to condemn Russia's illegal practice of prosecuting of Ukrainian citizens by illicitly applying force, to demand the Russian Federation to end violations of the international law in the occupied territories of Ukraine, to continue active cooperation, including within the Crimea Platform, on the protection of rights and freedoms in Crimea.