OSCE's Desir Hopes Kiev To Drop All Charges Against Vyshinsky

OSCE's Desir Hopes Kiev to Drop All Charges Against Vyshinsky

OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir has expressed hope in an interview with Sputnik that Kiev will drop all charges against Kirill Vyshinsky, the executive director of the Rossiya Segodnya News Agency, who spent over a year in Ukrainian prison over alleged support for the breakaway eastern republics

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th November, 2019) OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir has expressed hope in an interview with Sputnik that Kiev will drop all charges against Kirill Vyshinsky, the executive director of the Rossiya Segodnya news Agency, who spent over a year in Ukrainian prison over alleged support for the breakaway eastern republics.

"I wish, and I hope this will be the case," Desir said, when asked whether he believes that all charges could be lifted at the next court hearing.

Desir, who had repeatedly advocated for Vyshinsky's release, noted that this was "very important for media freedom."

"It is also a very important sign for the relationship between Russia and Ukraine, especially as it was together with release of Oleg Sentsov, Roman Sushchenko and also with the sailors [detained in the Kerch Strait]. I hope that yes, all charges will be dropped," Desir added.

Vyshinsky, then serving as the head of RIA Novosti Ukraine portal, was detained in Kiev on May 15, 2018, on suspicion of treason over his alleged support for Luhansk and Donetsk self-proclaimed republics, which declared independence in 2014, refusing to recognize the new central government. The journalist spent more than 400 days in pre-trial detention, with the court repeatedly postponing the hearing of his case. He was released on August 28 and returned to Russia on September 7, when the countries each released simultaneously 35 convicted and detained persons, including Ukrainian filmmaker Sentsov, sentenced to 20 years in Russia for plotting acts of terrorism in Crimea, and 24 Ukrainian sailors, accused of violating the Russian maritime border.

Meanwhile, the trial is still ahead, and Vyshinsky has said he is ready to participate in the legal proceedings despite denying all charges,