Freedom Now welcomes the release of journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko from Russian custody in occupied Crimea. Yesypenko had been wrongfully detained for more than four years on fabricated charges that were brought forth after he was subjected to severe physical torture.
Prior to his arrest, Yesypenko was a freelance correspondent with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s (RFE/RL) Ukrainian Service’s regional radio news outlet Crimea.Realities, which covers social, political and human rights situations in Russia-annexed Crimea. He was arrested by agents from Russia Federal Security Service (FSB) in March 2021 while traveling in Crimea. The Russian security agents subjected Yesypenko to torture and degrading treatment to coerce a confession.
Yesypenko’s trial began on July 15, 2021. Despite the evidence that Yesypenko’s confession was extracted under torture, the judge admitted the coerced confession at trial. On February 16, 2022, Yesypenko was found guilty of manufacturing illegal weapons and sentenced to six years in prison. In August that year, an appeals court upheld the conviction on the grounds that the “confession” obtained under torture had “actively helped solve the crime.” However, due to his mistreatment, his sentence was reduced to five years.
In September 2023, the European Union imposed sanctions on six individuals involved in Yesypenko’s detention, including two judges, a prosecutor, and two FSB officers responsible for his torture.
Freedom Now filed a petition with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on behalf of Yesypenko in November 2024. An opinion is pending.