Oleksiy Bessarabov

OleksiyBessarabov

Detained Since: November 9, 2016.

Charges: Membership in a "terrorist group of the Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine".

Sentence: 14 years in prison and a fine of 300,000 rubles.

Biography: Oleksiy Bessarabov (who has also written under the name Oleksiy Streletsky) is a resident of Sevastopol. He has published on topics related to security and the Russian Black Sea Fleet off the Crimean coast. In November 2016, Russian security agents abducted and arrested him on charges of preparing to sabotage military infrastructure and critical facilities of the Crimean Peninsula. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison and was also fined 300,000 Russian rubles. The appeal against his sentence was rejected.

Advocacy Partner: PEN America

Past Advocate: Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ, Ret.)

Updates:

  • Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) released a statement on March 18, 2023, calling for the release of all 14 Crimean Journalists in the Defending Freedoms Project, including Bessarabov (March 18, 2023, Senate Foreign Relations Committee).

Contact The Commission

Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
House Committee on Foreign Affairs
4150 O'Neill House Office Building
200 C Street SW
Washington, D.C. 20515
United States of America

Phone: +1 (202) 225-3599
TLHRC@mail.house.gov

Accessibility

The Commission seeks to make its events, meetings and hearings accessible to persons with disabilities.

If you are in need of special accommodations, please call (202) 225-3599 at least four business days in advance.

Questions with regard to special accommodations in general (including availability of Commission materials in alternative formats and assistive listening devices, sign language interpretation, etc.) may be directed to the Commission.

Get Commission E-Mail Updates

Please sign up to receive Commission updates, hearing schedules, and the latest news.