A court in Ukraine's Russian-controlled Donetsk region on July 12 jailed a member of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine for "espionage" in a judgment condemned by the European security organization. The Supreme Court of the Russia-backed separatist group that calls itself the Donetsk People's Republic found Vadym Holda, 56, guilty and sentenced him to 14 years in a strict-regime penal colony, Russia's Prosecutor-General's Office said in a statement. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) condemned it as "a grave violation of participating states' commitments under international law" and called for the immediate release of Holda and two other jailed OSCE officials.
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
FBI Raids Home Of Russian-American Political Analyst Dmitri Simes
2Putin Arrives In Azerbaijan On Visit To Shore Up Kremlin's Ties With Baku Amid Souring Relations With Armenia
3Schoolgirl's 'Sexual Slavery' Shocks Kazakhstan, Highlights Lack Of Protections
4Magnitude-7 Earthquake Strikes Off Russia's Far East
5Live Briefing: Russia Invades Ukraine
6Internal Rifts And U.S. Politics In Play As Ukraine Considers Banning Long Russian-Linked Church
7Russian Murder-Plot Suspect's Family Lives In 'Spectacular' British Mansion, Investigation Concludes
8Ukraine Says Second Bridge Hit In Russia's Kursk Region
9How Would Iran Benefit From Exporting Ballistic Missiles To Russia?
10Kerch Bridge Traffic Halted Overnight As Blasts Reported Over Russian-Occupied Crimea
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.