UK Foreign Office concerned about welfare of political prisoners Sentsov and Balukh

UK Foreign Office concerned about welfare of political prisoners Sentsov and Balukh

Ukrinform
The UK Foreign Office has expressed deep concern about health and welfare of Kremlin’s prisoners Oleg Sentsov and Volodymyr Balukh, who are on hunger strike, and called on Russia to immediately release Ukrainian political prisoners.

"UK is deeply concerned about the welfare of Ukrainian political prisoners Sentsov and Balukh, both on hunger strike. [They were] jailed by Russia for opposing illegal annexation of Crimea," the British Embassy in Ukraine posted on Facebook.

The Embassy also published a video, highlighting that Russia currently holds over 70 Ukrainian political prisoners.

The authors of the video say that film-maker Oleg Sentsov, who was arrested in May 2014 for opposing Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, went on a hunger strike on May 14, 2018. He now suffers severe heart and kidney problems. Volodymyr Balukh, arrested in December 2016 after displaying a Ukrainian flag, went on a hunger strike on March 19, 2018. His health has deteriorated so much that he was unable to attend his last court hearing.

"Those, who oppose Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, face persecution and human rights violations. We again urge the Russian authorities to release all Ukrainian political prisoners immediately," the UK Foreign Office stresses.

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