Oleg Sentsov

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Detained: May 10, 2014.

Charges: Setting up a branch of a terrorist group and organizing terrorist acts.

Sentence: Twenty years in prison.

Biography: Oleg Sentsov is an Ukrainian film director who was sentenced on August 25, 2015 to 20 years imprisonment for allegedly setting up a branch of a 'terrorist group' and organizing ‘terrorist acts' in April 2014. His conviction in a military court in Russia, followed a grossly unfair trial, on politically-motivated charges, and was based on "confessions" obtained through torture. Amnesty International is calling for his immediate release. During his arrest by the Russian State Security (FSB), Oleg was tortured by FSB by putting a plastic bag over his head until he passed out. They also threatened him with rape and murder, which forced Sentsov to "confess" to organizing explosions, acts of terrorism, and illegal possession of firearms.

Sentsov's rights were violated throughout his arrest, detainment, and trial. In violation of international humanitarian law, Sentsov was transferred to and faced trial in Russia, despite being arrested in Crimea and being a Ukrainian citizen. Sentsov was also denied access to his Russian lawyer for five days after being transferred to Russia. Additionally, he has not been given access to the Ukrainian Consul in Russia, which also violates international law.

On May 14, 2018 Sentsov declared he was going on an indefinite hunger strike until all Ukrainian political prisoners are released in Russia. On June 4th Sentsov's lawyer reported that he had lost 8 kilograms so far and prison doctors have warned that he could be at grave risk of kidney failure.

Sentsov ended his hunger strike after 145 days, citing the "critical state of his health" and the impending threat of hospitalization and force-feeding. His appeal is due to be heard on November 24, 2018.

Oleg Sentsov was RELEASED as part of prisoner exchange in September 2019.

Advocate:Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)

Advocacy Partner:Amnesty International

Updates:

• Deputy Chairman of the Senate of the Czech Republic Jiri Sestak, as well as heads of three committees, Senators Frantisek Bublan, Vaclav Hampl and Zdenek Papousek, have sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin calling for the release of Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov. (July 5, 2018, Kyiv Post)
• In a letter written on Sentsov's 42nd birthday, Lyudmila Sentsova, mother of Oleg, asked Putin to show mercy and pardon her son. The letter was published by the liberal Ekho Moskvy radio station Friday. (July 13, 2018, Kyiv Post)
• Russian prison doctors made Sentsov start taking two spoons of nutrition mixture orally, threatening to feed him by force otherwise. (July 19, 2018, Kyiv Post)
• Sentsov's lawyer says the health risks for his client are rising as the protest enters its 75th day. According to the lawyer, Sentsov is pale and lies down constantly because he has difficulty moving. (July 27, 2018, Associated Press)
• Father Grigory, the bishop of the Apostle Orthodox Church, was not allowed to visit Sentsov. This was a decision made by Colonel Aleksandr Novikov, chief of the Department of the Federal Penitentiary Service in Yamalo-Nenetsky territory. (August 1, 2018, Kyiv Post)
• On August 1, 2018, Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) released a statement calling on Putin to free Sentsov and other Ukrainian political prisoners (August 1, 2018, Rep. Marcy Kaptur)
• Amnesty International was denied visitation to Sentsov. Amnesty was planning to have an independent medical expert evaluate Sentsov's health. (August 2, 2018, Amnesty International)
• Sentsov's lawyer, Dmitry Dinze, visited Sentsov and reported his client losing 66 pounds, low hemaglobin, and a heart rate of 40 beats per minute. However, Sentsov is making a conscious choice to continue his hunger strike. (August 7, 2018, Journal du Cameroun)
• French President Emmanuel Macron will speak with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Friday about jailed Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov. (August 9, 2018, Reuters)
• After a two hour meeting with Sentsov, Zoya Svetova, a member of Russia's Presidential Advisory Council On Human Rights, says the state of his health is "bad" as a result of his three-month hunger strike. (August 14, 2018, RFE/RL)
• UN experts called on Russian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Oleg Sentsov while expressing grave concern for his physical and mental integrity. ( August 15, 2018, United Nations)
• The Kremlin has rejected Sentsov's mother's request for clemency, and said Sentsov should request the pardon himself. (August 15, 2018, Deutsche Welle)
• On the 100th day of Sentsov's hunger strike, the U.S. Department of State once again urged Russia to release him. (August 21, 2018, U.S. Department of State)
• In a call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo noted his concerns about Oleg Sentsov's health and urged Russia to immediately release Sentsov and all Ukrainian political prisoners. (August 23, 2018, U.S. Department of State)
• Ukraine has made a new application against Moscow at the European Court of Human Rights over the detention of Oleg Sentsov and dozens of other Ukranians jailed in Russia. (August 27, 2018, France24)
• Former dissident and President of Poland Lech Walesa nominated Oleg Sentsov for the Nobel Peace Prize. (August 29, 2018, Kyiv Post)
• Oleg Sentsov, who has been on hunger strike for 121 days, drew up his will as his health kept getting worse, his cousin Nataliya Kaplan said. (September 12, 2018, Kyiv Post)
• European Justice Commissioner Věra Jourová has called on Russian Justice Minister Alexander Konovalov to release Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov. (September 18, 2018, Politico)
• The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has accepted a lawsuit filed by Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov. The Russian government has been requested to submit its observations on the admissibility and merits of the case by January 16, 2019. (October 4, 2018, Ukrinform)
• Oleg Sentsov ended his hunger strike after 145 days, citing the "critical state of his health" and the impending threat of hospitalization and force-feeding. (October 5, 2018, The Independent)
• The European Parliament announced Tuesday that Oleg Sentsov is among three finalists for this year's Sakharov Prize. (October 9, 2018, France24)
• Poland bestowed the eighth annual Pro Dignitate Humana (For Human Dignity) award on Oleg Sentsov. (October 23, 2018, ABC News)
• The European Parliament has awarded Oleg Sentsov with its prestigious 2018 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. (October 25, 2018, RFE/RL)
• Oleg Sentsov was awarded the Sergei Magnitsky Human Rights Award alongside the late U.S. senator John McCain. The Magnitsky Human Rights Award was launched in 2015 to honor individuals for their human rights activities. (November 16, 2018, Hollywood Reporter)
• The U.S. called for Sentsov's release at a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna on November 22. (November 23, 2018, RFE/RL)
• According to his lawyer, Oleg Sentsov has "organic lesions" of the heart, liver, and kidneys stemming from his hunger strike. (December 9, 2018, 112 International)
• The United Nations General Assembly on Dec. 22 passed a resolution calling on Russia to end human rights violations in Crimea. The resolution recognized Oleg Sentsov as a political prisoner. (December 23, 2018, Kyiv Post)
• Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov has been sent back to Ukraine as part of a prisoner exchange. Sentsov is one of 35 Ukrainians who have been transferred from Moscow to Kiev in the first prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine since 2017. (September 7, 2019, Variety)