Foreign Ministry again calls on Russia to stop persecution of journalists in occupied Crimea

Spokeswoman of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Mariana Betsa wrote this on Twitter. "The trial in the case of journalist Semena continues on the World Press Freedom Day! We urge to stop the persecution of journalists in the occupied Crimea," she wrote. As reported, Ukrainian journalist Mykola Semena is now on trial under the “separatist” Article 280.1 of the Russian Criminal Code, for publicly denouncing the Kremlin’s annexation of Crimea. Russian authorities arrested Semena on April 19, 2016, and he was charged with acting against the “territorial integrity of the Russian Federation,” in response to a critical article he published on Krym.Realii (Crimea Realities) on September 11, 2015.