NGOs directly involved in helping the prisoners and their families have reacted with indignation to attempts to exclude them from the proceedings and point out that secrecy where public funding is concerned is unacceptable and carries the risk of corruption.

Mustafa Dzhemilev has made a particular request for his birthday, namely that it be made a special day for the children of the ever-mounting number of political prisoners under Russian occupation

Russia’s renowned Memorial Human Rights Centre has once again marked Remembrance Day for the Victims of Political Repression on 30 October by publishing new lists of political prisoners currently held in Russia or Russian-occupied Crimea. 

Russia’s ‘terrorist’ narrative about Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov took another blow on 25 October when the Kremlin’s most famous political prisoner was awarded the EU’s prestigious Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.

Oleg Sentsov has announced that, in the face of imminent commencement of force-feeding, he is ending his hunger strike from 6 October

Lawyer Dmitry Dinze has confirmed a sharp deterioration in Oleg Sentsov’s condition which almost certainly explained his being taken to hospital on 28 September

Ukraine has lodged a vital inter-state application with the European Court of Human Rights over Russia’s persecution of 71 Ukrainians illegally held prisoner in Russia or occupied Crimea.  It is the sixth inter-state application filed against Russia since its invasion of Crimea in early 2014, but the first to specifically address Russia’s ever increasing number of Ukrainian political prisoners, and the abductions, torture and other human rights violations committed against them and other Ukrainian

Three Ukrainian mothers are watching, totally powerless, as their sons, imprisoned illegally in Russia or Russian-occupied Crimea, become dangerously weak on hunger strike

Ukrainian filmmaker and Kremlin hostage Oleg Sentsov is dangerously weak after 87 days on hunger strike. His cousin reports that the situation is "catastrophically bad" and that when Oleg speaks of the end being near, it is not release that he is referring to

Despite the immediate danger to Oleg Sentsov’s life, Russia’s reaction so far to calls from all democratic countries to release him has been to lie about Sentsov’s ‘trial’, his citizenship, and to impose repressive measures against those Russians who have come out in the imprisoned filmmaker’s support

Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers has finally adopted a resolution which will help the families of Russia’s Ukrainian political prisoners pay for lawyers, as well as visits where the men are held somewhere in Russia.  Although there may be issues to be clarified, this is undoubtedly a much needed move

A ‘court’ in Russian-occupied Crimea has passed suspended sentences against five Crimean Tatars accused, as had been Crimean Tatar Mejlis leader Akhtem Chiygoz, of taking part in a perfectly legal pre-annexation demonstration over which Russia had no jurisdiction

Classic disinformation tactics aimed at suggesting, falsely, that “not all is clear” about Russia’s ‘trial’ and imprisonment of Oleg Sentsov and Oleksandr Kolchenko have, frustratingly been used by Ukrainian MP Yevhen Muraev, his channel and at least one other

Crimean Tatars’ unending struggle for freedom has been nothing less than epic, and much of it is represented in the long life of Mustafa Dzhemilev. Finally, a film producer has recognized his story for what it is: a compelling tale of historic sweep featuring a legendary protagonist of distinguished bearing.

Russia’s political persecution of Ukrainians coincided with its invasion and annexation of Crimea, and has continued unabated. Oleg Sentsov’s indefinite hunger strike has renewed demands for his release, however he has vowed to continue until Russia release all political prisoners [LIST and DETAILS]

Ukraine’s legislators are still dragging their feet on vital legislation needed to support Russia’s ever-rising number of Ukrainians imprisoned on politically-motivated charges or for their faith, as well as their families.  A recent legislative initiative not only gave Ukraine’s Security Service the role of deciding who qualifies, but also effectively means that prisoners themselves would not be eligible for support until after their release. 

Russia is continuing to deny any involvement in events in Ukraine from Euromaidan to the war in Donbas. Yet it cites concern about “national security” as its reason for rejecting requests to extradite or even just interrogate former Ukrainian Berkut officers, some of whom are suspected of having taken part in the gunning down of unarmed Maidan activists

Suleyman Kadyrov has been convicted by a ‘court’ in Russian-occupied Crimea of ‘making public calls to violate Russia’s territorial integrity’  for writing on Facebook that “Crimea is Ukraine.  It always was, is and will be”.   He received a two-year suspended sentence, with a ban on any ‘public activities’ for the same period

It is four years since a huge pro-Ukrainian unity demonstration in Simferopol on 26 February 2014 foiled Russia’s plans for an illicit coup d’état.  It is an appropriate, yet poignant Day of Crimean Resistance given the huge price paid by the Crimean Tatar leaders and other Ukrainians who peacefully stood in defence of Ukraine on that day and later,

It is people like Volodymyr Balukh, spending his second birthday in prison for his unwavering loyalty to Ukraine that give the lie to Russian propaganda about Crimea and give hope that it will return under Ukraine’s control.