RIA Novosti Ukraine portal Kirill Vyshinsky said in a letter to colleagues that all of the charges against him were "revenge" and "political games" of outgoing Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and added that he was certain it would be possible to disprove the accusations at a fair trial
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th May, 2019) RIA Novosti Ukraine portal Kirill Vyshinsky said in a letter to colleagues that all of the charges against him were "revenge" and "political games" of outgoing Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and added that he was certain it would be possible to disprove the accusations at a fair trial.
"I have spent almost a year in prison on trumped up high treason charges. Throughout this year, I have gone over what I have written and edited for RIA Novosti Ukraine website while I was at the helm, and have become convinced once again that my fellow journalists and I were honestly doing our professional duty, sticking to the fundamental principles of journalism and freedom of speech. All that I have been accused of high treason, anti-Ukrainian propaganda, sabotage is revenge over the truth in our articles and political games of the outgoing administration of President Poroshenko," Vyshinsky said.
The journalist stressed that it would be possible to prove his point of view "if the trial is competitive and fair."
Vyshinsky said that a year in prison had not been easy.
"Not a day went by that I did not want to be free, next to my family, people close to me, friends and colleagues. But I was definitely not ready a year ago, six months ago or now to pay for my freedom with some compromise or participating in some political games, because of which I was arrested," Vyshinsky said.
An event to show solidarity with Vyshinsky will be held on May 15 near the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow.
Vyshinsky was taken into police custody in Kiev on May 15, 2018. The journalist was told that he was being suspected of supporting self-proclaimed republics in Donbas and of high treason. On May 17, the Kherson court ruled to keep Vyshinsky in custody.
During a court hearing, Vyshinsky asked for help from Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding that he would give up his Ukrainian citizenship. Putin has said that Vyshinsky's arrest was politically motivated, adding that the incident demonstrated an unprecedented and unacceptable policy of Ukrainian authorities targeting journalists doing their jobs. The Russian Foreign Ministry has sent Kiev a letter of protest, calling on the incumbent authorities to stop the crackdown on media.
Harlem Desir, the representative on freedom of the media at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), has also expressed his concern over Ukraine's actions toward Vyshinsky and called for the journalist's release. Commenting on the situation, OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger has said that all OSCE member states should comply with international standards and avoid interfering in the work of the media.
