Detained director Oleg Sentsov receives the Sakharov European Prize

In mid-May this year, Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov went on a hunger strike in a Russian prison. He has been detained since 2014 on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts and classified by human rights organizations among political prisoners. Sentsov is not the only one to be a Ukrainian political prisoner in Russia.

And it was to draw attention to the way Russia imprisons Ukrainian citizens for political reasons while Oleg Sentsov began his hunger strike this spring while the whole world was staring turned to Russia, host country of football. The hunger strike was halted in early October after threatening forced labor.

Auction for the Awards Ceremony

The European Parliament now chooses to award Oleg Sentsov the Sakharov Prize 2018 for Freedom of Thought. A civil rights prize awarded to them has made remarkable efforts to defend human rights and fundamental rights against intolerance, fanaticism and oppression.

"With fear and determination, and putting his life in danger, filmmaker Oleg Sentsov has become a symbol in the struggle for the release of political prisoners in Russia as well as in the rest of the world," said Antonio Tajani, President of the European Parliament . at the announcement on Thursday:

– By awarding the Sentsov Sakharov Prize, the European Parliament expresses its solidarity. We want him to be released immediately. His struggle reminds us of our duty to defend human rights around the world and in all cases, "said Tajani.

This means that Sentsov will be invited to Strasbourg for the awards ceremony on 12 December. Something that seems impossible since the director is isolated in prison. Among others, Amnesty International and International PEN strongly criticized Russia's imprisonment of Sentsov and his treatment in captivity. The international requirements for his release have been repeatedly addressed.

"As a traitor"

– Until now, there have been no official comments or reactions to the price, there have been new neutral. In social media, there are a lot of reactions, where Sentsov is perceived as a traitor, saying that it is symbolic that he gave her the prize – why not award the prize to d & # 39; other terrorists, but only to terrorists working in Russia, says Elin Jönsson, SVT's Foreign Correspondent.

Oleg Sentsov has won awards and honors for his films in Ukraine, his home country, and abroad. His most famous film is Gamer (2011), which talks about a young man playing at the computer in a small Ukrainian town.