Section: Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group (Ukraine)
Ukrainian human rights activist & journalist detained as SBU revenge for criticism?
Oleksiy Svyetikov was detained at a checkpoint near Sloviansk on 29 March because his name had been placed on a list of ‘illegal armed bands’. Oleksiy Svyetikov was detained at a checkpoint near Sloviansk on 29 March after his name inexplicably appeared on the ‘List of illegal armed bands’ drawn up in connection with the...
Russia seeks secret trial of tortured Ukrainian accused of Crimea ‘sabotage plot’
‘Secret documents’ have been cited in Russian-occupied Crimea to justify holding the trial of Yevhen Panov behind closed doors. Since no secret material was ever mentioned to either Panov, or his lawyer, this may well simply be the latest attempt to conceal the lack of any substance to the charges against the Ukrainian …read more...
Russian tanks entering Ukraine that the OSCE is mandated to miss
Russia has spent four years denying responsibility for the tanks and huge arsenal of weapons provided to Kremlin-controlled militants in Donbas, and using OSCE observers to purportedly back this denial. While this is not the observers’ fault, the vast expanse of border area physically beyond their scope, as well as the clamps placed on what...
In Ukraine a life sentence is for life even when you’re innocent
An important European Court of Human Rights ruling has prompted Ukrainian human rights groups to demand a Constitutional Court review of the current lack of real mechanisms for releasing people sentenced to life imprisonment. The move is particularly important given strong grounds in very many cases for believing that life prisoners are either...
Ukrainian journalist loses defamation suit for criticizing Moreira propaganda film on Ukraine
A French court has upheld a ruling that found Ukrainian journalist Anna Chesanovska guilty of defaming Paul Moreira in comments about his highly controversial film on Ukraine ‘Masks of the Revolution. As well as a prohibitive fine, the journalist has been ordered, in effect, to retract the truth about a film which is grossly manipulative and...
UNESCO to send monitors as Russia continues wanton destruction of Crimean Tatar Khan’s Palace
Following its assessment of the situation in Russian-occupied Crimea, UNESCO’s Executive Council has passed a decision that could lead to a monitoring mission being launched. The move is certainly welcome but may be too late to save the Khan’s Palace, or Hansaray, in Bakhchysarai, a site of huge Crimean Tatar historical and cultural...
Russia falsifies medical records endangering the life of abducted Ukrainian teenager Pavlo Hryb
It is seven months since Russia’s FSB abducted Ukrainian student Pavlo Hryb from Belarus and since the 19-year-old, who has an extremely serious medical condition, saw the Ukrainian specialists treating him. Russia has refused to allow Ukrainian doctors to examine him and is producing suspiciously ‘healthy’ test results to try to...
Ukraine washes its hands of civilian victims of Russian-sponsored war in Donbas
Legislation naming Russia as aggressor and stipulating its full liability for the death and suffering inflicted on Donbas may seem an important affirmation of truth amid all the lies and propaganda. It will not help the thousands of Ukrainians whose lives have been devastated and who need assistance now. …read more Source: Kharkiv Human...
Russia tries to drive Ukrainian Church out of Crimea
While it is Crimean Muslims who are in ever-increasing numbers facing imprisonment for their faith in Russian-occupied Crimea, it was the Orthodox Church under the Kyiv Patriarchate that first came under fire following annexation, and that remains under relentless pressure. …read more Source: Kharkiv Human Rights Protection...
Plundering & Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia & occupied Crimea
A year after Russia outlawed the Jehovah’s Witnesses, a first believer is on trial, facing a ten-year prison sentence and repressive measures are gaining pace. These include armed searches and arrests, as well as the state theft of Jehovah’s Witness land and property. It seems only a matter of time before Jehovah’s Witnesses...
