Ukrainian authorities remain seriously concerned over the deteriorating situation in the occupied Crimea in the area of exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The situation is particularly worrying with regard to limitations on the freedom of the media, including attacks on and torture of journalists, freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of movement, freedom of religion or belief, the right to education, including the right to receive education in a native language for Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars.

The Embassy would like to pay attention of the Norwegian society, human rights protection groups to the arrest on 11 May in Crimea of an award-winning Ukrainian film director and civil society activist Oleg Sentsov, who along with two other Ukrainian citizens – residents of Crimea - Oleksiy Chirniy and Gennadiy Afanasjev, is charged with terrorism. The mentioned Ukrainian citizens were transported to Moscow to a Lefortovo prison. Moreover, on 16 May another Ukrainian citizen Oleksandr Kolchenko was arrested in Simferopol by the Russian security service and also transferred to the Lefortovo prison.

The Ukrainian side refutes groundless allegations against those Ukrainian citizens and regards their arrest as part of a campaign of intimidation against those who disagree with Russian's annexation of Crimea and oppose the Russian policy. Part of the same campaign of intimidation is the increasing number of extremism charges against Crimean Tartars.

The lawyer of Oleg Sentsov filed a complaint to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation concerning the beating and intimidation of Mr.O.Sentsov by Russian law-enforcement.

Some of the most highly-regarded film directors in Europe have co-signed a letters to Russian authorities who are currently detaining a Ukrainian film-maker, Oleg Sentsov.

Ukrainian authorities called on the Russian Federation to release Mr.Sentsov and respect the international law and allow urgent meetings of the arrested Ukrainian citizens with the consul of the Embassy of Ukraine to the Russian Federation. For a long time such meetings have not been allowed.

We hope the Norwegian society, in particular, human rights protection groups will support our demands to the Russian authorities.

Oslo

Embassy of Ukraine