It is 11 years since Russian federal troops stormed School No. 1 in Beslan where over 1100 children, teachers, parents and grandparents of children had been held hostage since the morning of Sep 1. 186 children and 145 adults were killed, most during the storming, in which tanks and heavy artillery were deployed

The Russian taxpayer is to foot the bill for legal services in the UK regarding the murder of Kremlin whistleblower Alexander Litvinenko which the British police is convinced was carried out with the involvement of the Russian state

An Azerbaijani court has sentenced investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova to 7 1/2 years in prison after convicting her on charges that rights groups have called retribution for her reports on corruption involving senior government officials

Russia’s ‘anti-extremism squad’ has again descended on Alexander Byvshev, the poet and former school teacher who was convicted in July of ‘inciting enmity’ over a poem in which he expressed his opposition to Russia’s annexation of Crimea.

The problem with Russia’s imminent trial of another two Ukrainian hostages is not only the lack of any evidence, but the fact that Russia is in all seriousness accusing the men of alleged support for separatists in the Russian Federation while heavily manning, arming and funding militant proxies in eastern Ukraine.

Russia’s Prosecutor General has found no violations in the criminal prosecution and detention of mother of 7, Svetlana Davydova who was arrested in January 2015 on charges of ‘state treason’ over a telephone call to the Ukrainian embassy about Russian soldiers being sent to Donbas

Oleg Sentsov, Oleksandr Kolchenko and Gennady Afanasyev’s courage and defiance have marred Moscow’s attempt at a Crimean show trial. It is now for Ukraine and western countries to demonstrate commitment to rule of law by ensuring proper penalties against all those who take part in Russia’s farcical prosecutions and trials of Ukrainian or other nationals

“Any testimony gained through torture and other ill-treatment must be thrown out, the ‘terrorism’ charges must be withdrawn, and Oleg Sentsov and Aleksandr Kolchenko should either be released or face a fair trial in a civilian court.”

A Russian court has sentenced Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov to 20 years harsh regime prison camp, and civic activist Oleksandr Kolchenko to 10 years. The conviction and the sentences were anticipated, despite the lack of any crime to warrant them.

Russia has reinstated yet another Soviet tradition with the death of a prisoner on hunger strike. Sergei Kaziyev died on Aug 21, 2015 in the Nalchik SIZO, or pre-trial detention unit after three months on hunger strike

A number of Russian filmmakers have spoken out over the trial of their Ukrainian colleague Oleg Sentsov who is facing a sentence of up to 23 years charged with non-existent ‘terrorism’. Some are notable for their continued silence

As expected, the ’court’ has refused to move the trial of Ukrainian MP and former military pilot Nadiya Savchenko to Moscow. It is to continue in Russian Donetsk, a small city without proper court facilities and meaning that Savchenko will spend 3 hours a day being transported to and from the nearest prison

The prosecutor has demanded 23 years for Sentsov, 12 for Kolchenko in a case with no crime and where all evidence was obtained through torture. Russian human rights activist Zoya Svetova likens this to Stalinist repression, not a court trial

Three hostages: Estonian police officer Eston Kohver, Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov, and Ukrainian military pilot Nadia Savchenko. Three people illegally abducted from their homelands and unjustly incarcerated by a rogue foreign power -- their lives uprooted and disrupted, their futures in doubt.

The renowned Memorial Human Rights Centre has recognized Hennadiy Afanasiev as a political prisoner and warned that he is in danger following his retraction of testimony against Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov and activist Oleksandr Kolchenko.

In his remarks, he challenged the legitimacy of an occupied Crimea "governed by criminals" and he spurned a path of "cowardice" that might accommodate or excuse Moscow’s actions in Ukraine

Russia’s Investigative Committee is proving predictably selective about which Russian journalists’ treatment prompts vociferous protest and criminal proceedings, and which cases are simply ignored.

The trial has begun in a Moscow court of five Russians charged with hate crimes over a stunt in which a Soviet star atop a Stalin-era skyscraper was painted in the yellow-and-blue colours of the Ukrainian flag.

Putin’s decree classifying information about military losses in peacetime as ‘state secret’ is widely seen as linked with Russia’s undeclared military engagement in Ukraine and can be used as a weapon against those trying to provide truthful information about the conflict, including details of Russian soldiers killed in the fighting

Gennady Afanasyev, one of the four opponents of Russia’s annexation of Crimea, arrested by the FSB on terrorism charges was almost certainly beaten by an FSB officer after he retracted his evidence against renowned Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov and civic activist Oleksandr Kolchenko