Poroshenko calls on U.S., EU join his Savchenko-Sentsov List initiative

Thursday, March 31, 2016 - 07:09 (EEST) Section: Latest news

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has called on the United States and the European Union to join his initiative to introduce sanctions against individuals involved in illegal actions regarding Nadia Savchenko, Oleh Sentsov and Oleksandr Kolchenko, the so-called Savchenko-Sentsov List.
”The Kremlin has gone even further. At least 11 Ukrainian citizens have become political prisoners in Russia,” he said at the forum titled ”Ukraine`s Battle for Freedom Continues” in Washington on Thursday.
”We have approved the sanctions list against individuals who had partaken in the farce trials against Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia. The so-called Savchenko-Sentsov List. It is very similar to the Magnitsky List. We expect that our U.S. and European partners will join this initiative,” Poroshenko said.
In his words, farce trials, unjust verdicts and illegal detention of Hero of Ukraine, Member of Parliament, PACE member Savchenko, who has been remanded in custody in Russia for two years already, as well as Sentsov, Kolchenko and many others are just appalling.
”Some of them are in a critical health condition. But this factor has no meaning for Moscow, which still does not allow ? despite the promises given by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov ? international doctors to visit them,” he added.
Memo. The Magnitsky list mentions some 60 Russian officials, from the interior ministry, police, and tax authorities, who Magnitsky alleged were involved in large-scale corruption by high-ranking officials. Magnitsky, who later himself was accused of aiding tax evasion, died in prison in 2009.
In December 2012, the U.S. Congress adopted the Magnitsky Act. It enables the U.S. to withhold visas and freeze financial assets of Russian officials considered to have been involved with human rights violations. The full list of names has never been released.
Savchenko was fighting with a Ukrainian volunteer battalion against Russia-backed militatns in eastern Ukraine when she was captured in June 2014. Russia claims she was acting as a spotter who called in coordinates for a mortar attack that killed two Russian journalists and several other civilians.
The Donetsk City Court of Russia`s Rostov region on March 22 sentenced Savchenko to 22 years in prison.
Savchenko denies the charges and said she did not recognize the Russian court or its right to try her.