Good morning. We'll start the live blog today with this item from our news desk on Oleh Sentsov, who turns 42 today:
Sentsov's Mother Asks Putin To Pardon Son
The mother of Ukrainian film director Oleh Sentsov, who is serving a 20-year prison term in Russia, has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to pardon her son.
Sentsov is serving his prison term in Russia's northern region of Yamalo-Nenets after being convicted on terrorism charges that he and human rights groups say were politically motivated.
"I will not persuade you that Oleh is innocent, although I believe he is," Lyudmila Sentsova wrote in a letter addressed to Putin and published on the website of Ekho Moskvy radio.
"I just want to say that he did not kill anyone. He has served four years already. His children are waiting for him... I beg you, Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin], to have mercy and pardon Oleh Sentsov," she wrote.
Sentsov, a native of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, which was seized by Russia in 2014, marked his 42nd birthday on July 13.
He has been on hunger strike since May 14, demanding the release of 64 Ukrainian citizens he considers political prisoners.
Western governments and rights organizations have called for Sentsov to be released, and the Russian human rights group Memorial considers him to be a political prisoner.
Several groups have called on Putin to pardon Sentsov, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the Ukrainian film director would have to ask for the pardon himself before it could be considered.
Sentsov's lawyer, Dmitry Dinze, said last month that Sentsov would not submit a request for a pardon as he considered himself innocent.
With reporting by Ekho Moskvy
This ends our live blogging for July 12. Be sure to check back tomorrow for our continuing coverage.