Oleg Sentsov

Oleg Sentsov (Олег Геннадьевич Сенцов) is a Ukrainian filmmaker, best known for his 2011 film "Gamer" and his arrest in May 2014 by the Russian Federal Security Service on suspicion of plotting terrorist acts.[1]

Biography

Sentsov was born in 1976 in Simferopol, Ukraine.[2] He was an economy student in Kyiv and took courses in film directing and screenwriting in Moscow.[2] His first two short movies were "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" (2008) and "The Horn of a Bull" (2009).[2] "Gaamer" from 2012 is his feature debut.[2] "Gaamer" debuted at the Rotterdam International Film Festival in 2012.[1] Its success in this and other festivals helped secure him funding for a forthcoming feature "Rhino", production on which was postponed by his work with the Euromaidan protest movement.[3] It was scheduled to begin shooting in the summer of 2014.[4]

After the November 2013 breakout of the Euromaidan-protests Sentsov became an activist of "AutoMaidan" and during the following 2014 Crimean crisis he helped deliver food and supplies to Ukrainian servicemen blocked at their Crimean bases.[1] Sentsov has stated that he does not recognize the Russian annexation of Crimea and the "Russian Federation military seizure of the Crimea".[5][nb 1] Sentsov was arrested on 11 May 2014 in Crimea on suspicion of "plotting terrorist acts".[1][5] He became one of four Ukrainian (Sentsov, Gennady Afanasyev, Alexei Chirnigo, Alexander Kolchenko[9]) citizens being held by Russia's Federal Security Service who accused them of seeking to carry out terrorist attacks on bridges, power lines, and public monuments in (the Crimean cities) Simferopol, Yalta, and Sevastopol.[1] These charges are punishable to 20 years in prison.[1] After holding Sentsov without charges for three weeks[10] a statement by Russia's Federal Security Service accused the four Ukrainians were "part of a terrorist community, to carry out explosions with home-made devices on May 9, 2014 near the Eternal Flame memorial and Lenin monument in Simferopol and to set on fire to the offices of the Russian Community of Crimea public organization and the United Russia party branch in Simferopol on April 14 and April 18, 2014".[9] Sentsov, Afanasyev, Chirnigo and Kolchenko have also been accused of membership in Ukraine's nationalist paramilitary group, Right Sector, a claim that both Sentsov and Right Sector deny.[1][5][9] Russian prosecutors have stated that Sentsov has confessed to the terrorist plots.[1] But the filmmaker and his lawyer, Dmitry Dinze, who defended Pussy Riot members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, denied this and he and Setsov himself have stated that Sentsov was beaten and threatened with rape to force him to confess.[1][5] Sentsov is since 19 May 2014 being detained in Moscow's Lefortovo prison.[1][9] European directors like Agnieszka Holland, Ken Loach, Mike Leigh, and Pedro Almodóvar have co-signing a 10 June 2014 letter for Russian President Vladimir Putin calling for Sentsov's release.[1][3] On 26 June 2014 Russia's presidential council for human rights appealed to Deputy Prosecutor General Viktor Grin to review the circumstances surrounding the arrests of Sentsov and a fellow Ukrainian activist, ecologist, anti-fascist and anarchist Oleksandr Kolchenko.[1] A reply, posted on the council's website, says prosecutors found "no grounds" for altering the detention of either suspect.[1] On 7 July 2014 Sentsov's arrest was extended to 11 October.[4] In October 2014 his arrest was extended to 11 January 2015.[11] Ukrainian authorities are banned by their Russian counterparts to contact or help Sentsov.[12] According to Sentsov he has been deprived of his citizenship of Ukraine.[5] The European Union and the United States have condemned Sentsov's detention and have called for his release.[13]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Since Ukraine lost the control over the peninsula to Russia in March 2014 the status of the Crimea and of the city of Sevastopol is under dispute between Russia and Ukraine; Ukraine and the majority of the international community consider the Crimea to be an autonomous republic of Ukraine and Sevastopol to be one of Ukraine's cities with special status, while Russia, on the other hand, considers the Crimea to be a federal subject of Russia and Sevastopol to be one of Russia's three federal cities.[6][7][8]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 Ukrainian Filmmaker Remains Behind Bars Despite Growing Support , Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (June 26, 2014)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 (Dutch) Short Bio, International Film Festival Rotterdam
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ken Loach, Mike Leigh and others call for release of Ukrainian director, The Guardian (10 June 2014)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 (Ukrainian) The Court extended the arrest in Moscow Ukrainian director, Ukrayinska Pravda (7 July 2014)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 (Ukrainian) Oleg Sentsov: I was tortured and humiliated, Ukrayinska Pravda (7 July 2014)
  6. ↑ Gutterman, Steve. "Putin signs Crimea treaty, will not seize other Ukraine regions". Reuters.com. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  7. ↑ Ukraine crisis timeline, BBC News
  8. ↑ UN General Assembly adopts resolution affirming Ukraine's territorial integrity, China Central Television (28 March 2014)
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Ukrainian film director Sentsov to remain in custody - Moscow City Court, Interfax-Ukraine (8 August 2014)
  10. ↑ For Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov, a battle with no end in sight, Los Angeles Times (16 July 2014)
  11. ↑ Ukraine film director Sentsov to stay in custody, Interfax-Ukraine (24.10.2014)
  12. ↑ (Ukrainian) Russia does not even because of arrested Ukrainian director Sentsov, Ukrayinska Pravda (20 June 2014)
  13. ↑ US calls on Russia to immediately release detained Ukrainian citizens Savchenko and Sentsov, Interfax Ukraine (18.10.2014)