Russia Tortured A Witness In Case Of Kidnapped Ukrainians – Lawyer

06 August 2015 18:48

Russian officials used torture and psychological pressure against Gennady Afanasiev, a main witness in a high—profile case of kidnapped Ukrainians, his lawyer says. We spoke to Oleksandr Popkov after his client confessed that his testimony against Oleg Sentsov and Oleksandr Kolchenko was given under pressure.

Russian officials used torture and psychological pressure against Gennady Afanasiev, a main witness in a high-profile case of kidnapped Ukrainians, his lawyer says. We spoke to Oleksandr Popkov after his client confessed that his testimony against Oleg Sentsov and Oleksandr Kolchenko was given under pressure.

Sentsov is a prominent Ukrainian filmmaker whose film The Gamer (2011) earnt him critical acclaim. When Russian soldiers entered Crimea is March 2014, Sentsov, who was born in Simferopol, decided to help and support local activists and Ukrainian soldiers on the peninsula. The new Russian authorities arrested Senstov in Simferopol, Crimea on 11 May, 2014, for allegedly being a member of the ‘terrorist group‘, Right Sector, a Ukrainian far-right political party. Oleksandr Kolchenko is Crimean anti-fascist and social activist.

Prosecutors accuse Sentsov of organizing terrorist acts on the Crimean territory, while Kolchenko is being accused of taking part in it.

// Filmed 08.06.2015.