U.S. condemns Sentsov, Kolchenko's sentences in Russian court

16:25, 26.08.2015 1 min read

The U.S. condemns the sentences handed down against Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov and another Ukrainian citizen Oleksandr Kolchenko by a Russian court, U.S. Department of State spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday.

"This is clear miscarriage of justice. Both Ukrainians were taken hostage on Ukrainian territory, transported to and imprisoned in Russia, and had Russian citizenship imposed on them against their wills. They have reported abuses by the Russian authorities who also restricted their access to lawyers, family, and others while in jail for more than a year," Kirby said.

"We again call upon the Russian Federation to implement the commitments it made in signing the Minsk agreements by immediately releasing Oleh Sentsov, Oleksandr Kolchenko, Nadia Savchenko, and all other remaining hostages," Kirby said.