You're reading: Amnesty International: Russia should withdraw charge of terrorism against Sentsov, Kolchenko, investigate torture

Accusations of terrorism against Ukrainian moviemaker Oleh Sentsov and environmentalist Oleksandr Kolchenko, whose cases are considered by the military court in Rostov-on-Don, are excessive and should be removed, Amnesty International has stated.

“There are serious concerns that the two men have been targeted by Russian authorities solely because of their opposition to Russian invasion of Crimea and its further annexation,” the press secretary of the Ukrainian representative office of Amnesty International, Bohdan Ovcharuk, who attended court sessions, said.

Sentsov and Kolchenko are Ukrainian citizens and the residents of Crimea, who during the time of their arrest opposed Russian annexation.

“Charges against them are based on allegations of two arson attacks, which resulted in damage to the private property of the Russian Community of Crimea and the office of the United Russia party, which at that time belonged to the Regions Party of Viktor Yanukovych,” reads the report.

The accusation of having committed the attacks as part of a “terrorist group” depends on the testimony of two key witnesses, who refused to testify against the accused on July 30 and 31, 2015.