Committee to Protect Journalists demands the immediate release of journalist Aseev, who was detained by the “DNR”
Separatists in the east of Ukraine should immediately release journalist Stanislav Aseev, who has been detained by the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic” (“DNR”) and accused of espionage.
As reported in the statement of the Committee to Protect Journalists of July17 which was provided to the Human Rights Information Centre.
In the statement it is recalled that Aseev, who has contributed to the Ukrainian service of the U.S.-government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty under the pseudonym Stanislav Vasin, went missing on June 2.
On July 15, Oleg Kotenko, head of Patriot, a volunteer group that works on the release of political prisoners in Ukraine, told independent broadcaster Hromadske Radio (Public Radio), that the separatists detained Aseev for his “pro-Ukrainian stance” and for “spreading information about the so-called “DNR”, which in militants’ opinion, is not true.”
On July 16, Yegor Firsov, Aseev’s friend and a former Ukrainian People’s Deputy, wrote on his blog in Ukrainska Pravda (Ukrainian Truth) that the separatists had charged the journalist with espionage and that if they convict him, he can be imprisoned for a term of up to 14 years, citing written confirmation provided to Aseev’s mother. Firsov also wrote that Aseev’s mother was allowed to see him in detention.
“Reporting is not espionage. Stanislav Aseev should be released immediately. We call on all sides of the conflict in Ukraine to respect journalists’ roles as civilians and allow them to do their work”, – CPJ Deputy Executive Director Robert Mahoney said.
As reminded by the CPJ, at least five journalists and two media workers have been killed on the job in Ukraine’s east since fighting between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russia separatists began in 2014.
