World must constantly raise issue of Aseev's, Halaziuk's release - OSCE

19.11.2019 10:34

Ukrinform

The international community must constantly raise the issue of the release of journalists Stanislav Aseev and Oleh Halaziuk, who were illegally detained in the occupied city of Donetsk.

OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir said this in a comment to an Ukrinform correspondent at OSCE headquarters in Vienna on the sidelines of an event on combating hate speech and disinformation.

"It's important that everybody in the international community raise this situation and that both of them [Aseev and Halazyuk] can be released as soon as possible," Desir said.

He recalled that Aseev, as a contributor to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), had been covering the situation in Donetsk, but had been "absolutely illegally arrested, detained and then sentenced [to 15 years in prison]."

"It's very important that every actor who can have an influence in this region do whatever is possible to ensure that Stanislav Aseev will be released," he said.

At the same time, he called for the release of another RFE/RL contributor Oleh Halaziuk, who was also illegally detained by Russian-controlled armed forces in Donetsk.