By Canadian Press

Once jailed Ukraine filmmaker Sentsov meets Trudeau, MPs in Ottawa

Feb 4, 2020 | 12:17 PM

OTTAWA — A Ukrainian filmmaker who spent five years in a Russian prison is in Ottawa today for meetings with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and parliamentarians.

Oleg Sentsov was jailed in what is widely viewed as a vendetta by Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

Sentsov was released in September as part of a larger prisoner-swap between Ukraine and Russia after serving part of his 20-year sentence in a prison colony in Russia’s Arctic, for conspiring to commit acts of terrorism — charges he denies.

Amnesty International has said Sentsov was subjected to an “extremely cynical show trial” and should never have spent a moment in prison. Sentsov staged a 144-day hunger strike to protest the jailing of dozens of Ukrainians in Russia.

Sentsov is a vocal opponent of Russia’s 2014 annexation of his native Crimea region in Ukraine.

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: North Shore BIA working hard to develop a 'happening place'

5m ago

1000 Ways to Heal

1000 Ways to Heal: Moons

Dec 10, 2024

Question of the Week

Should Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson apologize or resign after it was found he breached a section of council's code of conduct for allowing false or misleading information to be communicated?

Dec 09, 2024

Two months after his release, Sentsov was awarded Europe’s highest human-rights honour, the Sakharov Prize, named for the celebrated Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov.

Sentsov is to take part in a special meeting of MPs and senators that was also to include Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.

Freeland welcomed the release of Sentsov, journalist Roman Sushchenko and the 24 Ukrainian sailors detained by Russia in the Kerch Strait in November 2018.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 4, 2020.

The Canadian Press