Russia: Ruling expected in show trial of Ukrainian filmmaker and act..
A military court in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don is expected to hand down a verdict on 25 August in the controversial case of Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov and ecologist and anti-fascist activist Aleksandr Kolchenko.
Amnesty International has observed the trial and will be present in the courtroom tomorrow as the judgement is read. The men have been subjected to an unfair trial on "terrorism" charges relating to their opposition to Russia's occupation of Crimea. The prosecutors have asked for lengthy
prison sentences: 23 years for Oleg Sentsov and 12 years for Aleksandr Kolchenko.
The military trial was rife with irregularities, including shocking revelations about the use of torture and other ill-treatment to extract testimony.
Amnesty International previously called for the men to be tried in a civilian court under Ukrainian law, as required by international humanitarian law, and for the Russian authorities to investigate all allegations of torture and other ill-treatment of defendants and witnesses in the case.
For more information on the trial, please see:
. `The system does not forgive' - Crimean activists hauled before a Russian military court: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/08/crimean-activists-hauled-before-a-russian-military-court/
. Russia: `Terror' trial of Ukrainian film director and activist: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/08/russia-terror-trial/