Ukraine at OSCE raises issue of Sushchenko's release

Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the International Organizations in Vienna Ihor Prokopchuk said this at a regular meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council on Thursday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"On September 12, the Supreme Court of Russia upheld the shameful decision of the Moscow City Court against Ukrainian journalist Roman Sushchenko, who was sentenced to 12 years in a high-security colony. We condemn these actions by the Russian regime and call for the immediate and unconditional release of Roman Sushchenko, Oleg Sentsov and Volodymyr Balukh […] as well as many others," he said.

Prokopchuk said that the number of Ukrainian political prisoners held by the Kremlin is steadily growing "as Moscow continues to use state-controlled courts to issue sentences to Ukrainian citizens in fabricated cases and during closed sessions."

About 70 Ukrainian political prisoners, including Ukrinform journalist Roman Sushchenko, are currently held in Russia and in Russian-occupied Crimea.

The Moscow City Court on June 4 sentenced Sushchenko to 12 years of imprisonment in a high-security penitentiary for alleged espionage. The Supreme Court of Russia upheld the verdict on September 12. 

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