Journalist Semena could leave Crimea after July 2019

Ukrainian journalist Nikolai Semena may be eligible to leave the territory of annexed Crimea for the Ukrainian mainland in July 2019. This was reported by “Крым.Реалии”, citing the lawyer Emil Kurbedinov.

According to him, Nikolay Semena received a letter from the head of executive services stating that he is not authorized to consider his “travel abroad”. Nikolay Semyona remains waiting for parole, the lawyer added.

“It turns out that only in July will half of his probationary term have expired. He can apply for parole. Should they approve it, this will be done through the courts, then he will be able to safely leave”, the lawyer says.

On October 2, it became known that Nikolai Semena was refused permission to leave annexed Crimea for treatment at a cardiology clinic in Kiev. The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine earlier called on the Ukrainian authorities and international organizations to make every effort to provide the necessary treatment at a cardiology clinic in Kiev to the Crimean journalist Nikolai Semena.

The corresponding appeals to the OSCE and to the Russian Ombudsperson were also sent by the Ukrainian Ombudsperson Lyudmila Denisova. In September 2017, the Russian court in Simferopol imposed on Semena a two and a half year suspended sentence with a probationary period of three years and a ban on engaging in public activities for three years.

In December of the same year, the Supreme Court of Crimea, controlled by the Kremlin, reduced the sentence initially imposed on Semeyona in the area of supplementary punishment, reducing the period of prohibiting public activities to two years.

Nikolai Semyona claims that he exercised the right of “freedom of expression”.