Roman Volodymyrovych Sushchenko (, born 8 February 1969) is a Ukrainian journalist and artist. He was arrested in Russia on spying charges in 2016, and sentenced in 2018; his detention and sentence have been criticized by a number of Ukrainian and international agencies. Sushchenko was released in September 2019.
Career
Sushchenko was born on 8 February 1969 in
Cherkasy
Cherkasy (, ) is a city in central Ukraine. Cherkasy serves as the administrative centre of Cherkasy Oblast as well as Cherkasy Raion within the oblast. The city has a population of
Cherkasy is the cultural, educational and industrial centre ...
. He started his career in journalism in Ukraine in 2002 working for the
Ukrinform
The National News Agency of Ukraine (), or Ukrinform (), is a state information and news agency, and international broadcaster of Ukraine. It was founded in 1918 during the Ukrainian War of IndependenceRussian propaganda.
He is also an artist. His works have been displayed in Ukraine, Poland and France, among other countries.
Detention
On 30 September, 2016, he was arrested in Moscow on charges of espionage and detained in the Lefortovo Prison. Russia's
Federal Security Service
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation СБ, ФСБ России (FSB) is the principal security agency of Russia and the main successor agency to the Soviet Union's KGB; its immediate predecessor was the Federal Counterin ...
accused him of conducting espionage for the
Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine
The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (), also known in English as the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU), is the military intelligence service of the Ukrainian government. It is an agency of the Minist ...
. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense refuted this claim and Sushchenko himself denied the charges. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also protested against the arrest, calling it "another step in the purposeful policy of the Russian Federation to use Ukrainians, who are in the hands of the authorities, as political hostages in its hybrid aggression against our country." After two years in detention, on June 4, 2018, the Moscow City Court found Sushchenko guilty of spying and sentenced him to 12 years in a maximum security prison. He was serving his sentence in the Penal Colony No. 11 (IK-11). Ukrainian President
Petro Poroshenko
Petro Oleksiiovych Poroshenko (born 26 September 1965) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian politician and Oligarchy, oligarch who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Ukraine), Minister ...
condemned the verdict, stating it is based on false charges, and awarded Sushchenko the Ukrainian
Order For Courage
The Order for Courage () is a Ukrainian award established by Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma on August 21, 1996. Design by Ukrainian artist Mykola Lebid.
Awards of the President of Ukraine for Courage
Before August, 1996, personal bravery ha ...
3rd Class.
Sushchenko stated that he was subjected to psychological torture. Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner
Lyudmyla Denisova
Liudmyla Leontiivna Denisova (born 6 July 1960) is a Ukrainian politician. After twice serving as Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine, Denisova worked as Ombudsman for Human Rights in Ukraine from March 2018 to May 2022. Ukrayinska Pravd ...
criticized his conditions, stating that he has been "subjected to inhuman treatment". During the trial, his lawyer was also subject to harassment, including losing his status as the lawyer.
Aftermath and reactions
Shortly before his verdict was announced, Sushchenko won the Ukrainian Ihor Lubchenko prize for defending freedom of speech. French journalist
Galia Ackerman
Galina Ackerman or usually Galia Ackerman () (born 1948) is a French-Russian writer, historian, journalist, translator, researcher at the University of Caen, specializing on Ukraine and Post-Soviet states. She was also a translator for slain Rus ...
has also criticized the arrest of Sushchenko. Ukrinform has protested against the arrest of their employee.
PEN America
PEN America (formerly PEN American Center), founded in 1922, and headquartered in New York City, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose goal is to raise awareness for the protection of free expression in the United States and worldwide th ...
has described Sushchenko's detention and classified him as one of the "writers at risk". His case has also been described by the
Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in New York City, with correspondents around the world. CPJ promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists. The '' American Journalism ...
, an organization which criticized Russian authorities for failing to back up their allegations with "a shred of evidence". The
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the p ...
has called for his release, as did the
National Union of Journalists of Ukraine
The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU; , НСЖУ) is a public organization uniting professional creative workers, journalists and other mass media workers who are professionally engaged in journalism and journalistic activities. It ...
, the , the
International Federation of Journalists
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is the largest global union federation of journalists' trade unions in the world. It represents more than 600,000 media workers from 187 organisations in 146 countries.
The IFJ is an associate ...
and the
European Federation of Journalists
The European Federation of Journalists is the European regional organisation of the International Federation of Journalists. It describes itself as the largest organisation of journalists in Europe, and says it represents about 320,000 journalists ...
.
On 16 March 2018 the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
named 30 Ukrainian citizens (including Sushchenko) who it considers illegally detained or imprisoned in Russia, and called for their release. The
Sejm of Poland
The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland.
The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the transition of government i ...
adopted a resolution on 15 June 2018 demanding the release of Ukrainians imprisoned in Russia for political reasons. In the resolution, deputies demand, in particular, to release
Oleh Sentsov
Oleh Hennadiiovych SentsovNosorih (Rhino) labiennale.org ...
, Oleksandr Kolchenko, and Roman Sushchenko.
In February 2019, the Ukrainian Ministry of Information Policy and Ministry of Foreign Affairs nominated Sushchenko and another Ukrainian journalist, Mykola Semena, also arrested and sentenced by Russia in a way the Ukrainian government finds illegal, for the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.
Release
Roman Sushchenko was released with swap between Russia and Ukraine, 35 prisoners to 35, on 7 September, 2019. When plane with 35 freed Ukrainians landed in Kyiv, they were met by president
Volodymyr Zelensky
Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...