Occupiers in Crimea sentence journalist Yesypenko to six years in prison

The so-called “Simferopol District Court” in the temporarily occupied Crimea illegally sentenced a Ukrainian citizen, journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko to six years in a maximum security prison and a fine of RUB 110,000.

As Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova posted on Telegram, Yesypenko is accused of allegedly "illegal storage and transportation of explosive devices."

Denisova condemned the sentence passed by the so-called "Simferopol District Court" as all charges brought against the citizen of Ukraine were trumped-up and politically motivated, and the criminal case was fabricated.

The sentence passed in Yesypenko's case is an example of intimidation of independent journalists, suppression of freedom of thought in the temporarily occupied Crimea, and yet another evidence of the policy of persecution and reprisals against Ukrainian citizens committed by the occupying power, Denisova stressed.

"I draw the attention of the international community to the systematic violation of the rights of Ukrainian citizens on politically motivated charges by the aggressor country," the ombudsperson underscored.

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