Oscar winner Cuarón calls for release of Ukrainian political prisoner Sentsov

26.02.2019 17:55

Ukrinform

Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuarón called for the release of Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov, who is illegally imprisoned in Russia.

“Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón joined us in calling for the release of Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov last night,” PEN America posted on Facebook.

Alfonso Cuarón won the Oscar for best director at the 91st Academy Awards for Roma. That was the second time the Mexican director took the award, after winning in 2014 for space drama Gravity.

Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov and activist Oleksandr Kolchenko were detained in Crimea on May 10, 2014. Sentsov was sentenced to 20 years in prison and Kolchenko to 10 years on trumped-up charges of plotting terrorist attacks.

In May 2018, Sentsov went on hunger strike demanding the release of all Ukrainian political prisoners. He ended his 145-day-long hunger strike on October 6 due to the threat of force-feeding.

About 70 Ukrainian political prisoners are currently held in Russia and occupied Crimea.