Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian film director currently serving a twenty-year sentence in a high-security prison in Russia for opposing the Russian invasion of Crimea. He has been on hunger strike since May 2018 to demand that Russia release all Ukrainian political prisoners.
Maria raised Oleg Sentsov’s plight during the Foreign and Commonwealth Parliamentary Questions on Tuesday 4 September and received assurances from the Minister of State that his case will be raised directly with the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov.
Maria said “The human rights of Ukranian film director Oleg Sentsov should give us all cause for concern. When I first raised Mr Sentsov’s plight in October 2016 the then Foreign Secretary said the UK government was appealing to Russian authorities for his release. Sentsov is now three months into his hunger strike and faces almost certain death unless he is released. What further representations can our government make to secure his release and save his life.”
Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Alan Duncan responded “I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for raising this pressing case. We should all be speaking loudly in favour of the release of this prisoner from unjustified detention. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary undertakes to raise the matter directly with Foreign Minister of Russia, Sergey Lavrov when he meets him, and I hope that the prisoner will be released. There is absolutely no justification for this man being imprisoned. Indeed, he risks death as a result of his hunger strike.”
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