Oleh Sentsov

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Sentsov, 2019

Oleh Hennadijowytsch Sentsow ( Ukrainian Олег Геннадійович Сенцов ; born July 13, 1976 in Simferopol ) is a Ukrainian film director.

Life

Sentsov was born in Simferopol on the Crimean peninsula . After studying economics in Kiev , he studied film directing and screenwriting in Moscow . His first short film, A Perfect Day for Bananafish , was released in 2008, and Sentsov's second short film, The Horn of a Bull , was released the following year . With his first feature film Gamer about a video game competition, he made his debut at the International Film Festival in Rotterdam (IFFR) in 2012. The film received a lot of attention and praise and secured Sentsow the financing for his next film production Rhino .

He interrupted work on his planned feature film Rhino in November 2013 for his involvement in the Euromaidan protest movement. Sentsov was an activist of the so-called AutoMaidan movement and delivered food and supplies to soldiers in the Ukrainian Crimean bases blocked by Russian units. He is an opponent of the Russian annexation of Crimea and sees it as illegitimate. He also rejects the Russian military presence in the Donets Basin .

At the time of his imprisonment, Sentsov was a single father of two children. He did not even ask Putin's mercy for the benefit of his autistic son; Sentsov was very principled, said his cousin Natalia Kaplan.

Arrest and trial

Sentsov during the trial

On May 11, 2014, Sentsov was arrested in Crimea together with the activist Oleksandr Koltschenko , the photographer Gennadij Afanasjew and the historian Oleksij Tschirnij on suspicion of planning terrorist acts and transferred to Moscow . They were accused of preparing terrorist attacks on public monuments. On the other hand, they were assumed to be members of the right-wing extremist paramilitary organization Right Sector . Sentsov and Kolchenko and their lawyers always denied this. After his pre- trial detention in Lefortovo Prison in Moscow, Sentsov was sentenced to 20 years in a prison camp for terrorism in August 2015, and Kolchenko, who was also accused, was sentenced to ten years in prison. On February 6, 2016, it was announced that Sentsov was being transferred to Irkutsk to serve his sentence. His penal colony IK-8 (White Bear) is located near Labytnangi on the Arctic Circle . Kolchenko was transferred to Chelyabinsk .

The charges against Sentsov and Kolchenko were primarily based on the statements of the co-defendants Afanasjew and Tschirnij, who began to cooperate with the investigators immediately after their arrest, according to human rights organizations only from one of the two and the person concerned would have admitted until the testimony of being tortured. The FSB's investigative material was inaccessible to outsiders and a confidentiality agreement was signed by the lawyers. According to Dmitry Dinze, there is no further evidence of the Sentsov's involvement in a terrorist organization: no wiretapping, no material from operational search activities. It is also known from the trial that neither explosives nor weapons were found during Sentsov's arrest and search.

Sentsov denied all charges and called the case political and fabricated, the WOZ called it an "abstruse show trial", while the NZZ on the same day said that such a verdict did not even have to be in connection with the indictment and so did evidence are not necessary, as the judgment only serves as a deterrent demonstration of the short way to a prison camp.

During the trial, Sentsov reported attempts to use torture to coerce evidence during interrogation: he was beaten with hands, feet and baton, strangled with a package and even threatened with rape. The second defendant, left-wing activist Oleksandr Kolchenko, also reported on the torture used during the investigation. Prosecution witness Gennady Afanasyev retracted his testimony during the trial, saying that he had given his earlier testimony under duress.

On September 7, 2019, Oleh Sentsov was released after a major prisoner exchange and returned to Ukraine.

Protests against detention

Rally for the release of Sentsov in Munich

The European Film Academy (EFA) demanded in a statement on May 19, 2014 the release of Sentsov, as did the managing director of the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg , Kirsten Niehuus. According to Tagesspiegel , Sentsov's colleague Sergei Loznitsa , who lives in Berlin , commented on the reasons for the arrest: "Oleg Sentsov took an active part in the protests, which is the only reason why he is now being persecuted."

Amnesty International drew attention to the case on May 30, 2014 . In a letter from European directors dated June 10, 2014 to Russian President Vladimir Putin , a. Agnieszka Holland , Ken Loach , Mike Leigh and Pedro Almodóvar called for Sentsov's release.

On June 26, 2014, the Russian Presidential Council for Human Rights appealed to Deputy Prosecutor General Viktor Grin to investigate and reassess the circumstances surrounding the arrest of Sentsov and his colleague, Ukrainian ecologist Oleksandr Kolchenko. Notwithstanding the protests, the responsible judge declared on July 7, 2014 that Sentsov's pre-trial detention would be extended until October 11, 2014. Ukrainian authorities were not allowed to contact Sentsov because Sentsov lost his citizenship of Ukraine with the incorporation of Crimea into the Russian Federation .

In a resolution from July 2015, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe called on the Russian Federation to release Oleh Sentsov and declared the detention illegal.

The Berlinale and the Cannes Film Festival held solidarity campaigns in 2017.

At a press conference with Emmanuel Macron in May 2018, President Putin was asked about the Sentsov case. He called the Russian judiciary "independent" and Sentsov was imprisoned by it for "terrorism". Two months before the start of the 2018 World Cup, Sentsov started a hunger strike. Actions took place in 78 cities around the world to draw attention to the case.

Sentsov's mother submitted a pardon to the Kremlin towards the end of the 2018 World Cup . Lech Wałęsa nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize and the Group of the European People's Party nominated him for the 2018 Sakharov Prize .

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has asked the Russian government to give Sentsov medical care (in protest against his detention and the detention of other Ukrainians on hunger strike for over two months ). The ECHR imposed a temporary measure ; this is possible if complainants face irrevocable harm. Since Russia is a member of the Council of Europe , the Russian government is obliged to implement the measure.

Soja Swetowa visited Sentsov on August 17 and called the state of health "pre-critical", with a risk of organ failure.

Sentsov's health deteriorated until September 12th, which is why Sentsov had decided to write a will because he “didn't believe in a happy ending”. On the afternoon of October 5th, he announced that he would end his hunger strike on October 6th.

In November 2018, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution calling for the immediate release of the Ukrainian citizens Oleh Sentsov, Volodymyr Baluch and Emir-Ussejin Kuku .

release

Sentsov returns to Ukraine

Sentsov was released on September 7, 2019 as part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. The Russian writer Viktor Erofeev said that the new Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj had earned the Nobel Peace Prize for enforcing the prisoner exchange , as he had given the "value of human life" priority over "political games".

Honors

documentation

The documentary The Trial: The State of Russia vs Oleg Sentsov by director Askold Kurov celebrated its world premiere in February 2017 in the special at the 67th Berlinale . The film is about Sentsov's life and trial in Russia.

Movies

  • 2008: A Perfect Day for Bananafish (short film)
  • 2009: The Horn of a Bull (short film)
  • 2012: Gamer (feature film)
  • 2019: The Numbers (feature film)

Publications

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ www.iffr.com ( Memento of the original from December 17, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.iffr.com
  2. ^ Ken Loach, Mike Leigh and others call for release of Ukrainian director . In: The Guardian , June 10, 2014.
  3. ↑ Ukrainian Filmmaker Remains Behind Bars Despite Growing Support . In: Radio Free Europe , June 26, 2014.
  4. ↑ 'A court of occupiers cannot be just': Ukrainian director's courtroom speech . In: The Guardian , August 25, 2015.
  5. ↑ The man who held a 144-day hunger strike , NZZ , October 26, 2018
  6. ↑ Russian court sentences Ukrainian director to 20 years in prison. In: Sueddeutsche.de. August 25, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015 .
  7. ^ Friedrich Schmidt: With Soviet harshness and arbitrariness. In: FAZ.net. August 25, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015 .
  8. ↑ a b Symbolic hunger strike in Russia . In: NZZ , May 29, 2018, page 3.
  9. ↑ a b c Russia's evil foul , NZZ, June 14, 2018, page 10
  10. ↑ Процесс Сенцова. День первый. Retrieved July 13, 2018 .
  11. ↑ Разоблачение Сенцова или провал ФСБ? In: Novaya Gazeta , June 27, 2018.
  12. ↑ Ведомости: Украинский режиссер Сенцов не признал себя виновным в подготовке терактов в Крыму . July 21, 2015 ( vedomosti.ru [accessed July 13, 2018]).
  13. ↑ Authoritarianism in the Trikot , WOZ, June 14, 2018
  14. ↑ Украинский режиссер Олег Сенцов, которого в Ростове-на-Дону судят по обвинению в подготовке терактов в Крыму , рассказал суду о том, как его пытали и угрожали российские спецслужбы. Retrieved July 13, 2018 (Russian).
  15. ↑ Процесс Сенцова. Допрос Афанасьева. Retrieved July 13, 2018 .
  16. ↑ Oleg Sentsov was arrested ( memento from August 8, 2014 in the Internet Archive ). Press release by the German Film Academy from May 21, 2014
  17. ↑ Der Tagesspiegel May 19, 2014
  18. ↑ RESOLUTION ON ABDUCTED AND ILLEGALLY DETAINED UKRAINIAN CITIZENS IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION (PDF) oscepa.org. July 9, 2015. Archived from the original on July 13, 2015. Retrieved on April 8, 2016. p. 48.
  19. ↑ Actions in support of prisoner Oleg Sentsov were carried out in 78 cities around the world , Novaya Gazeta, June 2, 2018.
  20. ↑ World Cup in Russia and a question: will it stay that way? , on sportschau.de, from July 15, 2018.
  21. ↑ The most important thing is the future , Novaya Gazeta, September 12, 2018
  22. ↑ Jailed Ukrainian Filmmaker Sentsov Nominated For Sakharov Prize , Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, September 12, 2018
  23. ↑ zeit.de July 25, 2018: Court demands medical care for Oleh Sentsov from Russia
  24. ^ Movement in the case of Oleh Sentsow? , NZZ, August 20, 2018
  25. ↑ Oleg Sentsow: "The Maidan is the most important thing in my life" , DW, August 21, 2018.
  26. ↑ "I don't believe in a happy ending" - Oleg Sentsov wrote a will , Novaya Gazeta, September 12, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Sentsov announced that he would end the hunger strike on October 6th" , a message on Hromadske and "I have to stop my hunger strike from tomorrow" , Novaya Gazeta
  28. ↑ 112.ua: UN adopts Ukrainian resolution on abuse of human rights in Crimea . Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  29. ↑ FAZ.net: Russia and Ukraine exchange prisoners
  30. ↑ Kerstin Holm , Ferner Sieg , in: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , September 9, 2019, p. 11.
  31. ^ Biography Oleh Sentsow on the official website of the Taras Shevchenko Prize Committee; Retrieved September 9, 2016 (Ukrainian).
  32. ↑ Oleh Sentsow became an honorary citizen of Paris , Novaya Gazeta, September 24, 2018.
  33. ↑ Sakharov Prize goes to Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov , Spiegel Online , October 25, 2018
  34. ↑ Berlinale Special: The Trial: The State of Russia vs Oleg Sentsov . Berlinale, accessed on September 20, 2018.
personal data
SURNAME Sentsov, Oleh
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Sentsow, Oleh Hennadijowytsch (full name); Сенцов, Олег Геннадійович (Ukrainian)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Ukrainian film director
DATE OF BIRTH July 13, 1976
PLACE OF BIRTH Simferopol