Prison for pro-Ukraine social-media posts
A Crimean activist has been sentenced to two years in prison over pro-Ukrainian comments made on social media, a ruling that activists say is unprecedented. Ihor Movenko was found guilty of extremism by the Russia-controlled court in Sevastopol on May 4. The charges stem from comments Mr. Movenko posted in the “Crimea is Ukraine” group on the social network VKontakte in 2016. “If I’m not mistaken, this is the first time someone has been imprisoned for comments made on social media,” said Darya Sviridova of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union. “Obviously, a Ukrainian citizen is being persecuted for taking a pro-Ukrainian position on occupied territory,” Ms. Sviridova added. A lawyer for Mr. Movenko, Oksana Zheleznyak, said the ruling would be appealed. Mr. Movenko was beaten in Sevastopol in September 2016 while riding a bicycle that displayed a sticker with the symbol of the far-right Azoz battalion. He suffered serious injuries in the attack, but police never investigated the incident. Following the assault, Mr. Movenko was detained in December 2016 by Russia-installed security authorities in Crimea and charged with extremism on social media. Since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in March 2014, the human rights situation has reportedly deteriorated on the Ukrainian Peninsula. Human Rights Watch has called Crimea a “black hole” for human rights. (Crimean Desk, RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service)
Crimean Tatar activist’s sentence upheld
The Russia-controlled Supreme Court of Crimea has upheld a suspended two-year prison sentence for a Crimean Tatar activist who opposes Moscow’s rule in the Ukrainian region. The court ruled on May 3 that a previous decision by a court in the city of Feodosia on March 1 that found Suleyman Kadyrov guilty of “publicly instigating to the violation of Russia’s territorial integrity” was right. The May 3 ruling also barred Mr. Kadyrov from “public activities” for one year, a sentence that prevents him from taking part in demonstrations. The charge stems from Mr. Kadyrov’s 2016 reposting of a video on Facebook about a pro-Ukrainian volunteer military unit and a comment he added to the video that said, “Crimea was, is, and will always be Ukraine!” Mr. Kadyrov pleaded not guilty, arguing that he has the right to express his opinion. Rights groups and Western governments have denounced what they call a campaign of repression targeting members of the Turkic-speaking Crimean Tatar minority and others who opposed Moscow’s seizure of the Black Sea peninsula in March 2014. The majority of Crimean Tatars opposed the Russian takeover of their historic homeland. In March last year, the European Parliament called on Russia to free more than 30 Ukrainian citizens it said were in prison or under restricted freedom in Russia, Crimea, and parts of eastern Ukraine that are controlled by Russia-backed separatists. (Crimea Desk, RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service)
Ukraine to shun FIFA congress in Moscow
A spokesman for Ukraine’s soccer federation has said the organization will skip a meeting of world soccer’s governing body scheduled to be held in Moscow this summer. The AFP news agency quoted the spokesman as saying on April 25 that Kyiv planned to send the charge d’affaires at its Moscow Embassy to the FIFA Congress instead of soccer officials. It was not immediately clear whether FIFA would accept a diplomat representing Ukraine instead of a member of the country’s national federation. Kyiv’s relations with Moscow have been in tatters since Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea region in March 2014. Russia has also supported separatists fighting government forces in eastern Ukraine, where more than 10,300 people have been killed since April 2014. The June 12-13 FIFA Congress is set to award the 2026 World Cup hosting rights, with Morocco and a joint bid by the United States, Canada and Mexico contending. The gathering comes just days ahead of the June 14-July 15 World Cup in Russia, for which Ukraine did not qualify. The Ukrainian soccer federation in January decided not to send its officials to the tournament. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by AFP)
Assistant secretary of state in Ukraine
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia A. Wess Mitchell visited Ukraine May 1-3. At a press conference on May 2, Mr. Mitchell stated, “I just had a very productive meeting with President [Petro] Poroshenko. We discussed Ukraine’s security situation including the situation in the east as well as the political and economic front. I underscored America’s unbending dedication to Ukraine’s territorial integrity and political sovereignty. I underscored America’s unbending dedication to Ukraine and its territorial integrity and political sovereignty. I made it clear that the United States continues to reject Russian aggression against Ukraine and I expressed the United States’ appreciation to President Poroshenko and his team for the leadership that they are showing in providing defense for Ukraine and all of Europe at such a critical moment.” Mr. Mitchell also noted that he had just come from the NATO Ministerial in Brussels, where Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “expressed his strong support for the open-door policy of NATO in general and in particular for continuing Ukraine’s path towards Euro-Atlantic integration.” The assistant secretary of state also noted that his discussions with President Poroshenko included the topics of political and economic reforms, as well as cybersecurity. He noted: “I am happy to announce that the United States is doubling our assistance to Ukraine for strengthening its cyber defenses from $5 million to $10 million.” He went on to state: “Since January of last year this administration has brought sanctions against 189 individuals and entities. We are open to dialogue with the Russian Federation, but we will continue to impose costs until Russia makes the choice to not pursue an aggressive foreign policy. …We’re imposing new sanctions now and will continue to coordinate with our allies to impose additional sanctions if needed.” (Ukrainian Canadian Congress Daily Briefing)
One Ukrainian soldier killed in east
Ukraine says one of its soldiers has been killed and four wounded in clashes in the country’s east. The Defense Ministry said on May 7 that Russia-backed militants violated a ceasefire 80 times during the previous 24 hours, firing artillery, machine guns, grenade launchers, and mortars. Meanwhile, the militants claimed that Ukrainian government forces violated the ceasefire more than 30 times, using the same type of weapons, and wounding a civilian. Since April 2014, more than 10,300 people have been killed in fighting between Kyiv’s forces and the “separatists” who control parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Ceasefire deals announced as part of the Minsk accords – September 2014 and February 2015 pacts aimed to resolve the conflict – have failed to hold. A new ceasefire agreement was reached in late 2017 and was meant to begin on December 23, but both sides have accused each other of repeated violations since then. (RFE/RL, with reporting by Interfax and TASS)
EU report cites ill treatment of suspects
A new report from the Council of Europe finds that, despite significant efforts in Ukraine to adopt European human right standards, law enforcement bodies in the country continue to treat suspects badly. “The problem of ill treatment still exists and has a systematic nature,” said the report, which was released on May 4 as part of the European Union’s and council’s Partnership for Good Governance Project aimed at strengthening human rights in the former Soviet country. The report said the principal reason for what it called “ill treatment by police” in Ukraine was an “established investigative practice which requires a suspect’s confession as the starting point” for a criminal investigation. It said the practice of first obtaining confessions from suspects – “often extracted in an illegal manner” – is “widely spread and supported” by police so they can “present better investigative statistics.” Once the confessions are extracted, the report said, the “inadmissible evidence” is “quite often accepted in court proceedings,” perpetuating the rights violations in the legal system. The report also found shortcomings in Ukrainian law that contribute to the ill treatment of suspects, including a “lack of a functional independent institution responsible for investigating” rights violations by police. (RFE/RL)
Mine Awareness Day at Operation UNIFIER
The Maple Leaf reported on observances of United Nations Mine Awareness Day in Ukraine, as part of Canada’s Operation UNIFIER. In 2005, April 4 was proclaimed to be U.N. Mine Awareness Day. The theme for the 2018 Mine Awareness day was “Advancing Protection, Peace and Development.” In Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine, at the Defense Demining Center, members of the Canadian Armed Forces have been working with the Armed Forces of Ukraine to help enhance their explosive ordnance disposal training. “U.N. Mine Awareness Day was not only a fitting event for the Explosive Ordnance Disposal specialists to commemorate, but also because this issue is something in which Ukraine is profoundly invested due to the military engagements along the eastern border,” The Maple Leaf pointed out. “As the Officer Commanding the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Capacity Development efforts of Operation UNIFIER, I see clearly just how important this subject is to the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” Major Josh Bye told The Maple Leaf. “Many of the Ukrainian soldiers that come through this training have firsthand experience from the Joint Force Operation Zone; almost everyone in Ukraine knows someone fighting there right now. This training will help their Sappers safely deal with explosive threats, making Ukraine safer and stronger.” Over the course of U.N. Mine Awareness day, members of Operation UNIFIER in Kamianets-Podilskyi exchanged procedures and tactics with their Ukrainian counterparts. They also shared knowledge on explosive safety with locals that visited the Demining Center and reached out to the larger Ukrainian population through the media that were present.(Ukrainian Canadian Congress daily Briefing)
Gerashchenko: Putin needs destabilization
The first vice-chair of the Verkhovna Rada, Iryna Gerashchenko, said on May 9 that she believes Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to destabilize the situation in Ukraine and Europe through interference in future presidential and parliamentary elections in Ukraine. Ms. Gerashchenko made that point during a discussion at the London Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, the Ukrainian Embassy to Britain said. Ukraine’s presidential envoy on the humanitarian situation in the Donbas, Ms. Gerashchenko said at Chatham House: “Putin doesn’t need Donbas but [wants to] destabilize whole Ukraine and thus Europe, including through interference into future presidential and parliamentary elections in Ukraine,” the Ukrainian Embassy said on Twitter on May 9. (Interfax Ukraine)
Poroshenko, Tusk agree on Ukraine-EU summit
During a working visit to Germany to attend the Charlemagne Prize ceremony, President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine met on May 9 with the president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, to discuss the 20th Ukraine-European Union summit, which will be held in Brussels this summer. Mr. Poroshenko briefed Mr. Tusk about the situation in the Donbas, the Joint Forces Operation and the latest facts about violations of the Minsk agreements by the Russian side. The two also discussed the continuation and possible strengthening of the sanctions regime against Russia. “The leaders discussed the implementation of reforms in Ukraine, particularly the creation of the anti-corruption court, the reform of the national security system, the implementation of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU, as well as the ways to enhance the EU assistance,” a release from the Presidential Administration noted. (Interfax Ukraine)