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Russia Indicts RFE/RL Crimea Contributor for "Separatism"
WASHINGTON - RFE/RL contributor Mykola Semena was formally presented an indictment by Russian authorities on charges of “separatism” on January 20, in a case that has come to symbolize the suppression of media freedom in Russia-annexed Crimea.
The indictment, citing Article 280.1 of Russia's criminal code, states that an article written by Semena in September 2015 in which he opposed Russia’s occupation of Crimea contained “calls to action aimed at violating the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation.”
Semena has been under criminal investigation since April 2016, when Russian security agents conducted a search of his apartment and the homes of six other journalists. Currently barred by authorities from leaving Crimea, he faces a potential prison sentence of five years.
In a January 24 statement deploring the deterioration of media freedom in conflict zones in Ukraine, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunya Mijatovic raised Semena’s case specifically, saying it “reminds us all of the arbitrary practice of silencing critical voices in Crimea.” She said, “It is totally unacceptable to persecute the journalist for expressing his views,” and demanded that the charges against him be dropped.
more http://www.rferl.org/a/28259562.html
The indictment, citing Article 280.1 of Russia's criminal code, states that an article written by Semena in September 2015 in which he opposed Russia’s occupation of Crimea contained “calls to action aimed at violating the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation.”
Semena has been under criminal investigation since April 2016, when Russian security agents conducted a search of his apartment and the homes of six other journalists. Currently barred by authorities from leaving Crimea, he faces a potential prison sentence of five years.
In a January 24 statement deploring the deterioration of media freedom in conflict zones in Ukraine, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunya Mijatovic raised Semena’s case specifically, saying it “reminds us all of the arbitrary practice of silencing critical voices in Crimea.” She said, “It is totally unacceptable to persecute the journalist for expressing his views,” and demanded that the charges against him be dropped.
more http://www.rferl.org/a/28259562.html
A brave man
