This statement was originally published on cpj.org on 22 October 2019.
“Stanyslav Aseyev is neither a spy nor extremist. He is a journalist who was providing a rare glimpse into the life of ordinary people in the area controlled by Russia-backed separatists,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. “The so-called court that convicted Aseyev is not legitimate; he should be released immediately and allowed to return to the Kyiv-controlled area of Ukraine.”
Aseyev, who contributed to RFE/RL and various Ukrainian news outlets under the pseudonym Stanislav Vasin, went missing on June 2, 2017, as CPJ reported at the time. He was one of only a few independent Ukrainian journalists to remain in Donetsk after Russia-backed separatists seized control of the regional capital and declared their own “People’s Republic” in the spring of 2014, according to CPJ reporting.
In a statement today, RFE/RL President Jamie Fly condemned the announcement, adding, “[Aseyev] is a journalist and was only trying to raise awareness about the situation in eastern Ukraine. The ruling is an attempt by Russian-backed separatists in Donetsk to silence his powerful, independent voice.”
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Source: MEDIA FEED
