The self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic declared Aseyev “guilty of espionage, extremism, and public calls to violate the territory's integrity”. He was also banned from practising journalism for two years and six months.
This statement was originally published on cpj.org on 22 October 2019.
“Stanyslav Aseyev is neither a spy nor extremist. He is a journalist who was providing a rare glimpse into the life of ordinary people in the area controlled by Russia-backed separatists,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. “The so-called court that convicted Aseyev is not legitimate; he should be released immediately and allowed to return to the Kyiv-controlled area of Ukraine.”
Aseyev, who contributed to RFE/RL and various Ukrainian news outlets under the pseudonym Stanislav Vasin, went missing on June 2, 2017, as CPJ reported at the time. He was one of only a few independent Ukrainian journalists to remain in Donetsk after Russia-backed separatists seized control of the regional capital and declared their own “People’s Republic” in the spring of 2014, according to CPJ reporting.
In a statement today, RFE/RL President Jamie Fly condemned the announcement, adding, “[Aseyev] is a journalist and was only trying to raise awareness about the situation in eastern Ukraine. The ruling is an attempt by Russian-backed separatists in Donetsk to silence his powerful, independent voice.”
