MOSCOW - The Russian Supreme Court has upheld the verdicts against Ukrainian film director Oleh Sentsov and social activist Oleksandr Kolchenko, who were sentenced to 20 years and 10 years at a high-security prison, respectively, for plotting terrorist attacks in Crimea, according to a ruling issued by the Court's panel of military judges after hearing of the defense appeal on Tuesday, an Interfax correspondent reported.
In their complaints, Sentsov and Kolchenko and their lawyers asked that the verdicts be overturned as unsubstantiated and politically motivated.
The case does not contain any evidence of the existence of the terrorist community which state prosecutors claim was a branch of Right Sector, a radical nationalist party (declared extremist in Russia), of which the convicts were members, the defense said in their complaints.
At the trial, the convicts refused to speak and did not even rise when speaking to the court, despite the admonition from the president of the panel of military judges.
“I have nothing more to say, your television program is very boring,” Sentsov said when invited to make his final comment.
Sentsov was charged with “organizing, and participating in, a terrorist community,” “committing a terrorist attack,” “preparing for a terrorist attack,” “attempting to illegally acquire explosives,” and “illegal acquisition of explosive devices.” He pleaded not guilty.
According to the inquiry, Sentsov had set up a terrorist community that operated across Crimea. It was Right Sector’s structural unit and aimed to destabilize the Crimean authorities and pressure Russian authorities into a decision on the republic’s secession from the Russian Federation.
On Aug. 25, the North Caucasus District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don issued a guilty verdict against Sentsov. The film director was sentenced to a cumulative term of 20 years in a high-security prison.
The second defendant, Kolchenko, was sentenced to 10 years in a high-security prison.
Two other suspected accomplices, Hennadiy Afanasyev and Oleksiy Chirniy, who reached an accommodation with investigators, were sentenced earlier.
