US calls on Russia to release 'unjustly' jailed political and religious prisoners

'The Russian people, like people everywhere, deserve equal treatment under the law,' says State Department

Chris Riotta
New York
Tuesday 19 June 2018 00:07 BST
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Oleg Sentsov is one case the US has raised with Russia as 'unjust'
Oleg Sentsov is one case the US has raised with Russia as 'unjust'

The US State Department has called on Russia to release all of its political and religious prisoners, urging the government of President Vladimir Putin to cease using its legal system to "suppress dissent and peaceful religious practices".

All together, the total number of prisoners the US said are “unjustly imprisoned” exceeds 150. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the administration was “deeply concerned” by the Kremlin’s increasing detainment of human rights activists and others identifying with minority religious groups across the country.

“We call on Russia to release all those identified as political or religious prisoners immediately and cease its use of the legal system to suppress dissent and peaceful religious practice,” a statement read. ”The Russian people, like people everywhere, deserve equal treatment under the law and the ability to exercise their rights without fear of retribution.”

Among those identified by human rights organisations as political and religious prisoners are more than a dozen Muslim followers of Turkish theologian Said Nursi, several Jehovah’s Witnesses, five leaders from the Church of Scientology and a human rights activist whose been detained in Chechnya, according to the state department’s statement.

“We are especially concerned about the welfare of four Ukrainians unjustly imprisoned who are currently on hunger strike—Oleg Sentsov, Stanislav Klykh, Oleksandr Shumkov, and Volodymyr Balukh,” the statement said. ”We are likewise troubled by the case of Oyub Titiyev, a human rights activist prosecuted on trumped-up drug charges in Chechnya, whose pre-trial detention was recently extended,“ it added.

Recent reports have emerged detailing the Russian government’s intrusion into minority religious communities, including several raids against Jehovah’s Witnesses in at least seven cities in recent years. Some of those detained face a prison sentence of up to 10 years, according to Human Rights Watch, which describes the trend as a “broader persecution” of religious groups.

Others face even more severe penalties for reportedly dissenting against the Kremlin. Mr Sentsov, a filmmaker and dissident whose denied all accusations against him, is currently serving 20 years on terrorism-related charges. The renewed interest in his case arrives as Russia hosts the 2018 World Cup, creating a potentially unwanted conflict during the international sporting event. Mr Sentsov’s family has called on Mr Putin to release him and other Ukrainian prisoners from jail.

“Sentsov was detained not for journalistic activities, but for plotting a terrorist act,” Mr Putin said recently. ”These are completely different things we’re talking about. They are different and incomparable.“

The Russian embassy in Washington did not reply to a request for comment.

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