The head of the Human Rights Council asked the head of the FSIN to allow the priest into Sentsov’s colony

The head of the Human Rights Council (HRC), Mikhail Fedotov, asked the head of the Federal Penitentiary Service, Gennady Kornienko, to give permission for the priest to see Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov in the colony. This is stated in a document published on the HRC website.

“I sent an appeal to the director of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia [Gennady] Kornienko with a request to allow the Bishop of the Central Religious Organization “Association of Orthodox Communities of the Apostolic Tradition” Grigory Mikhnov-Vaitenko to visit Sentsov,” reads the letter addressed to Lyudmila Denisova, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada.

Earlier, the head of the Federal Penitentiary Service for the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Colonel of the Internal Service Alexander Novikov, refused Father Grigory (Mikhnov-Vaytenko), Bishop of the Apostolic Orthodox Church, to meet with Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov.

Federal Law 103 of April 20, 2015 allows clergy who belong to duly registered religious associations to visit people in places of detention. A personal meeting can last up to two hours each, the law does not limit the number of such meetings. Moreover, if the parties wish, this meeting can take place in private and even out of earshot of third parties.

Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov was sentenced in Russia to 20 years on charges of plotting terrorist attacks in Crimea. Since May 14, Sentsov has been on a hunger strike, demanding that the Russian authorities release all Ukrainian political prisoners. He does not include himself among them. Sentsov was supported by many cultural figures and human rights activists, Russian and foreign.