Stanislav had been working under a pseudonym to report on daily life in the self-styled “Donetsk People’s Republic”, a territory in eastern Ukraine that was annexed by pro-Russian forces in 2014.

Now, the de facto authorities have locked him up on trumped-up charges of “espionage”.

Human rights abuses in the “republic” are rife: people are locked-up, disappeared and tortured carte-blanche by local security forces, and the courts don’t meet international law standards.

He is being held in a makeshift prison with no access to the outside world and no legal representation. What’s more, we know that other prisoners have been tortured to force false confessions.

Stanislav has gone on hunger strike in protest, but we won’t let him fight this injustice alone. Tell the authorities to release him immediately and unconditionally.

Thank you!

UPDATE 28/09/18: This action is now closed – thank you to everyone who took action. We will hand them over to the authorities in Ukraine.

Speak up for Stanislav

  Our Petition

Head of the DNR
Aleksandr Zakharchenko

Head of MGB
Vladimir Pavlenko

Dear Mr. Zakharchenko,

Freelance journalist Stanislav Aseev has been held in a detention facility called Izolyatsiya since June 2017. I ask that you release him immediately. Under international humanitarian law, arbitrary, abusive and prolonged detention of civilians is prohibited.

Pending his release, please allow him to be visited by the UN Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine and ensure that he has regular access to adequate medical care.

Please ensure that Stanislav Aseev and other journalists are able to carry out legitimate journalist activities without interference, including when travelling in and out of the territories affected by the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Yours sincerely,

Add Your Voice