Letters to Free Crimea: an initiative to support political prisoners will be launched in Ukraine and abroad
From February 19 to May 19, 2024, the Letters to Free Crimea initiative will be held in Ukraine and abroad, encouraging people to write letters to Crimean political prisoners illegally detained by Russia.
The press conference will be held at the Ukraine Media Center – Ukrinform information agency (Kyiv, 8/16 B. Khmelnytskoho str., 1st floor) on February 19 at 11:00 a.m. (UTC +2).
The purpose of the Letters to Free Crimea initiative is to remind about the Ukrainian prisoners of Kremlin and to demonstrate support to them which is so necessary in captivity. In addition, letters from caring people are also a sign for prisons’ administrations that every citizen of Ukraine is important and society monitors the conditions of their detention.
During the event, the organizers will explain details of the initiative and the ways of joining it. They will also mention stories of Crimean political prisoners and conditions they are held in, as well as kind of help they need.
Speakers:
- Larysa Denysenko, Ukrainian writer, lawyer, human rights defender, ambassador of political prisoner Remzi Bekirov, member of the Executive Council of the Ukrainian PEN;
- Anna Sytnikova, chief consultant of the Crimean Platform Activity Support Service of the Representation of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea;
- Viktoriia Nesterenko, project manager of the Human Rights Center ZMINA;
- Oleksiy Ilnytskyi, deputy director of the Political Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Moderator: Olha Atamanova – moderator of Ukraine Media Center – Ukrinform.
Organizers: Representation of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, PEN Ukraine, Human Rights Centre ZMINA, Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine.
The press conference will be broadcast online on the Facebook pages of ZMINA, PEN Ukraine, the Representation of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, as well as on the Ukraine Media Center – Ukrinform YouTube channel in Ukrainian and English.
