Grigory Yavlinsky’s web-site, 14.09.2018

Oleg Sentsov can die at any moment.

While the whole country is enthusiastically discussing the video appeal of the deputy minister of the Russian government with strange threats of physical violence against a citizen who accused him of corruption and [the deputy minister’s] fantasies about the “duel code.”

While everyone is guessing who is the most important idiot in the case of poisoning in Salisbury.

While the people are arguing why the Russian President danced at the wedding of Austrian extreme right-wing nationalists.

While the “experts” are trying to understand what those who made up a story about how American astronauts drilled holes in a spaceship to return to Earth more quickly have been smoking.

While this is happening – Ukrainian political prisoner Oleg Sentsov may die in a Russian prison.

Every day brings a new portion of absurdity, lies, dirt and idiocy to our lives… This has been continuously discussed, ridiculed in social networks, memes and caricatures are created… It turns out that attention of millions of people is almost completely filled up with this.

Meanwhile, Oleg Sentsov can really die at any moment.

The epic mood on this issue is completely inappropriate. His death will be the departure of a man unjustly persecuted by the Russian authoritarian-police system, who chose his way of fighting against lies and arbitrariness. Preservation of Sentsov’s life is the responsibility of all of us, every person who has a Russian passport. Everyone!

Those who are in power and close to power believe that they will be able to get some of their cynical benefits from the tragedy. But for ordinary people, for all – both for the Russian people, and for the Ukrainian people, – Sentsov’s death will be a new common disaster, which we all, most likely, will never be able to cope with.

If the Russian government represented the people, then it would have to show mercy. Because the essence of charity is that it is always unilateral. But this power does not represent us, and has no mercy. Moreover, this authority is afraid of charity, as of all other human things.

There have been virtually no working contacts at the necessary level between Moscow and Kiev for a long time, human contacts are also almost blocked. The meeting in the Normandy format could help to resolve humanitarian issues, including this, the main one – the issue of the liberating Oleg Sentsov. But after the death of Alexander Zakharchenko [so-called head of the unrecognised Donetsk Republic] in Donetsk all turned down such a meeting. The collective West is now unable to mediate in the relations between Russia and Ukraine. Moreover, there is simply no such a West.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov is dying in the Russian colony, dying for thinking like millions of us, and speaking up about it.

The situation with Sentsov, in view of its exceptional importance, would have to be discussed in the UN Security Council – along with the growing tension and the threat of a military clash in the Sea of Azov, along with the humanitarian and environmental situation in Crimea and a political solution to the situation in eastern Ukraine. The modern world should not be so helpless!

Sentsov is dying. And any of us tomorrow may be in his place.

Essentially, the decision to sentence Sentsov to 20 years in a strict-regime colony was taken on Putin’s order, which no official in the Russian legal system dared to challenge. Although no one was hurt by Sentsov’s actions, and in general it is not clear what exactly he did. Therefore, only Putin can free Sentsov. Everyone should strive for this – remember this every day, talk about it, write about it and demand it.

Personally, Putin is fully responsible for the life of Oleg Sentsov. Not the Federal Service for Execution of Punishment, not [Russian Ombudsperson] General Moskalkova, not jail-keepers, not colony doctors – they all just follow the orders – not they, but personally Vladimir Putin is responsible.

Oleg Sentsov can die at any moment.

Source: https://www.yavlinsky.ru/news/rossia/save-sentsov