Members of the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian parliaments sent an appeal to the leaders of the EU Donald Tusk, Antonio Tajani, Jean-Claude Juncker, and Federica Mogherini to exert pressure on the Russian authorities for the immediate release of the Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, and other Ukrainina nationalists currently incarcerated in Russian prisons on politically motivated charges.

The appeal was signed by 18 members of the Baltic national parliaments and the European Parliament, including eight Estonians: Tunne Kelam, Tarmo Kruusimäe, Mart Nutt, Jürgen Ligi, Liisa Oviir, Henn Põlluaas, Enn Meri, and Mari-Ann Kelam.

Oleg Sentsov has been on a hunger strike for over 90 days and his condition has been reported as catastrophic. The authorities have denied him correspondence, meetings with impartial observers, and adequate medical care. Unless the international community steps in immediately, we will have another case like Sergei Magnitsky’s.

The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) arrested Sentsov in his home in Simferopol on 10 may 2014. Sentsov had supported the Euromaidan protests and opposed the annexation of Crimea. In Moscow, he waited for a court hearing for over a year. The prosecutor was demanding 23 year of imprisonment for acts of terrorism. Sentsov ended up receiving a 20-year prison sentence. He is being held in a prison in Yakutia. The imprisoned Ukrainian writer and filmmaker Oleg Sentsov has been on a hunger strike since May 14.

The full list of the signatories:

Gabrielius Landsbergis, Member of the Seimas, Chairman of the Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats, Lithuania
Radvilė Morkunaite-Mikuleniene, Member of the Seimas, Lithuania
Andrius Kubilius, Member of the Seimas, Lithuania
Tarmo Kruusimäe, Member of the Riigikogu, Estonia
Tunne Kelam, Member of the European Parliament, Estonia
Mari-Ann Kelam, former Member of the Riigikogu, Estonia
Ojārs Ēriks Kalniņš, Member of the Saeima, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Latvia
Veiko Spolītis, Member of the Saeima, Latvia
Atis Lejiņš, Member of the Saeima, Latvia
Rasa Jukneviciene, Member of the Seimas, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Lithuania
Prof. Inese Vaidere, Member of the European Parliament, Latvia
Krišjānis Kariņš, Member of the European Parliament, Latvia
Liisa Oviir, Member of the Riigikogu, Estonia
Enn Meri, Member of the Riigikogu, Estonia
Henn Põlluaas, Member of the Riigikogu, Estonia
Mart Nutt, Member of the Riigikogu, Estonia
Sandra Kalniete, Member of the European Parliament, Latvia
Jürgen Ligi, Member of the Riigikogu, Estonia

Riigikogu Press Service
Gunnar Paal,
+372 631 6351, +372 5190 2837
[email protected]
Questions: [email protected]