Ukraine demands that Russia provide documents confirming Russian citizenship of Crimeans Sentsov and Kolchenko
The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine demands that Russia provide copies of documents confirming Russian citizenship for Ukrainians Oleg Sentsov and Olexander Kolchenko, who were jailed in Russia. The Deputy Minister of Justice, Sergiy Petukhov, posted a photo of the said request on his Facebook page.
“The Moscow kingdom resumed serfdom. Crimeans were captured with land like serfs. When a neighbor’s head is filled with a medieval mindset, it is difficult to talk about European values. We believe the refusal to transfer our guys to be unreasonable and groundless. However, we still ask that they provide copies of the documents that confirm Russian citizenship of Sentsov and Kolchenko, and most importantly, reconsider its decision,” Petukhov wrote.
On the 20th of October, Russia refused to transfer Crimean film-maker Oleg Sentsov and left-wing and trade union activist Olexander Kolchenko to Ukraine on the grounds that it believes them to be Russian citizens. As the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry noted, Sentsov and Kolchenko didn’t apply for Russian citizenship and the corresponding statements of Moscow contradict the norms of international law.
On the 25th of August 2015, the North Caucasus District Military Court of the Russian Federation sentenced Oleg Sentsov to 20 years’ imprisonment in a maximum security penal colony on charges of involvement in terrorism.
Russian investigators called Oleksandr Kolchenko, who was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment, Sentsov’s accomplice.
Oleksandr Kolchenko and Oleg Sentsov never confessed their guilt. Human rights organizations believe these accusations to be groundless and politically motivated.