Ukrainian ombudswoman denied video link with Sentsov, his photos not provided as well
The Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova has said that she was refused a video link with the convicted Ukrainian film director Oleh Sentsov.
"The information on the state of Oleh Sentsov and Volodymyr Balukh is quite contradictory: they are hunger striking or, on the contrary, they stopped their hunger strikes, whether they are taking nutritious mixtures and gaining weight. They did not provide a video link with Oleh," the ombudswoman wrote on Facebook on Monday.
Denisova says she is outraged by the fact that the Russian authorities keep convincing the global community that "everything is OK with the Ukrainian political prisoners," while the defense lawyers are saying the opposite. "All these things cause a lot of concern and mistrust!" she said.
The human rights commissioner said she needs to see Sentsov, Balukh, Oleksandr Kolchenko, Stanyslav Klykh, Roman Sushchenko and other Ukrainian "political prisoners" held in Russia and in the "occupied" Crimea and demands that Russia urgently provide her with such access.
Denisova says the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry had again asked the Russian authorities to provide her with access to the Ukrainian "political prisoners," citizens of Ukraine held in Russia and Crimea.
The Ukrainian human rights commissioner has been in Russia since June 14. She has not been able to meet with any of the Ukrainian prisoners yet.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mariana Betsa, for her part, said a note has been given to the Russian authorities demanding that the human rights commissioner be urgently provided with access to the Ukrainians imprisoned in Russia.
"We have sent an urgent note to Russia seeking unimpeded access for Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Liudmyla Denisova to the Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia. First of all, we demand that Russia provide access to those who are on hunger strike or in a serious condition: Oleh Sentsov, Volodymyr Balukh, etc.," Betsa said on Twitter.
The Ukrainian human rights commissioner has been in Russia since June 14. She has not been able to meet with any of the Ukrainian prisoners yet.
