Another upshot of Ukraine's tilt toward Europe?
A tweet from Ukraine's ambassador to Canada:
The OSCE's Dunja Mijatovic has issued a statement on the labeling of Crimean journalists as "terrorists" and "extremists":
Russia’s labeling of journalists as terrorists a threat to media freedom, OSCE Representative says
VIENNA, 12 July 2016 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today expressed concern about the decision of Federal Financial Monitoring Service in Russia to publish an updated “list of terrorists and extremists” which includes members of the media.
“Publishing this list could put the journalists at risk and jeopardize their safety,” Mijatović said. “It’s the government’s responsibility to ensure journalists’ safety; it should not put them in harm’s way based on state prosecutors’ suspicions under an anti-extremism law.”
On 12 July, the Federal Financial Monitoring Service, tasked with monitoring legal entities’ and individuals’ compliance with Russia's terrorist and extremist financing legislation, published a searchable list of some six thousand individuals on its website.
Previously held confidential, the list includes Crimean journalists Nikolay Semena from the Krym-realii online media, and Anna Andrievskaya from the Centre for Journalistic Investigations.
Mijatović noted that she and other intergovernmental bodies have repeatedly pointed to the shortcomings of anti-extremism legislation in Russia and voiced their concerns regarding its application, including past verdicts in relation to journalists and warnings to media entities.
“I call on the relevant authorities to take down the list with the names of the journalists and review the policy which puts those exercising their freedom of expression in danger,” Mijatović said. “Labeling journalists as terrorists because of their critical voices and critical reporting cannot be justified.”
Full statement here
A tweet from Ukraine's ambassador to Finland. You can read more about Aivazovsky here
Good morning. Today is Oleh Sentsov's 40th birthday. Here is a piece by RFE/RL's Claire Bigg on what his supporters are doing to mark the occasion:
Crimean Filmmaker Sentsov Turns 40 In Russian Prison
Supporters in Ukraine and beyond are marking Oleh Sentsov’s 40th birthday on July 13 -- the third consecutive birthday the Crimean film director is spending behind bars in Russia, which convicted him of conspiring to commit terrorism on the annexed peninsula.
Sentsov, who denies guilt and says he was unfairly prosecuted by the "occupiers" of Crimea, is serving a 20-year sentence at a high-security Russian prison following a trial described by Amnesty International as "fatally flawed."
Ukraine will honor Sentsov with a rally on Kyiv's iconic Independence Square, scene of the Euromaidan protests that drove a Moscow-allied president from power and preceded Crimea’s seizure by Russia in March 2014.
The Kyiv-based Solidarity Committee, one of the event's organizers, said the rally is intended as a show of support for Sentsov, his co-defendant Oleksandr Kolchenko -- who received a 10-year sentence -- and other Crimeans it considers political prisoners.
"Our goal is to show them that we are not indifferent to their fate, we want to show that Ukraine doesn’t forget its people," said Polina Brodik of the Solidarity Committee. "It’s also a reminder to Russia’s law-enforcement organs that these people are not forgotten and that we will fight for their release."
Sentsov and Kolchenko were convicted on charges that include burning down the office of a pro-Kremlin political party and plotting to blow up a statue of Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin in Simferopol, the regional capital. Both have consistently denied the accusations.
"Texts written by Sentsov will be read, we will read his prose, his closing statement, and several other texts pertaining to him and his case," Brodik told RFE/RL. "We will then release balloons from cages, as a symbol of our wish to see him free."
Hennadiy Afanasyev, a photographer from Crimea who was jailed on similar charges, is scheduled to address the crowd on Independence Square on July 13 along with Sentsov’s cousin and other speakers.
Afanasyev was released in June in a prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine. His testimony had been used to convict Sentsov and Kolchenko, but he quickly recanted it in the courtroom, saying it was obtained under torture. Sentsov, too, has said he was tortured by his Russian captors.
The trial of Sentsov and Kolchenko drew international condemnation, with politicians, officials, and cultural luminaries calling for their release. The case is widely seen as an attempt to crush dissent in Crimea, which Russia took over after sending in troops and staging a referendum dismissed as illegitimate by 100 U.N. members.
Some of Europe’s most prominent film directors, including Ken Loach, Wim Wenders, and Mike Leigh, have signed an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin demanding that Sentsov be freed and his torture allegations be investigated.
Top Russian directors such as Aleksandr Sokurov and Andrei Zvyagintsev have also joined the appeals.
Best known for his 2011 film Gamer, Sentsov says his jailing is punishment for his involvement in the Euromaidan movement that led to the ouster of Russia-friendly president Viktor Yanukovych and for his public opposition to Russia's takeover of his native peninsula.