Oleg Sentsov became the first laureate of the Ukrainian ID Award, founded by International Economic and Humanitarian Forum Ukrainian ID.

Ukrainian cinema-maker is awarded for the unbreakable will in defending the ideals of freedom. The announcement was planned for July 7 during the solemn awarding ceremony of the Ukrainian ID Forum. However, as stated by Forum’s President Nataliia Zabolotna, current imprisoning conditions of the cinema-maker, who continues his hunger strike in Russian prison started on May 14, demand urgent actions towards release of Oleg Sentsov.

Global flashmob #FreeSentsov starts from Tarasova mountain in Kaniv on July 7 at 19:00 (Kyiv time). It will be joined by global Ukrainian community.

Organizing Committee of the Ukrainian ID Forum appeals to all Ukrainians regardless of their residence countries to organize meetings in support of Sentsov at main squares of their cities and in front of embassies of the USA and Russia.

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Oleg Sentsov – Ukrainian cinema-maker, screenwriter and writer. Was a Euromaidan activist and civil struggle figure against the occupation of the Crimea by Russia. In May 2014 Sentsov has been kidnapped by FSB in Simferopol and arrested for allegedly preparing an act of terror. In 2015 Russian court found him guilty and sentenced him to 20 years of a maximum-security prison. Numerous international organizations and civil society figures recognized the sentence as political and demanded Russian authorities to free him.

On May 14 Oleg Sentsov declared an open-ended hunger strike demanding to free 64 Ukrainian citizens, who were kidnapped and sentenced under political motives.

On June 25, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, issued an official claim to the president of Russia to pardon Sentsov.
Currently Oleg Sentsov continues his imprisonment in corrective colony no. 8 “White bear” in Labytnangi city, situated north of the Arctic Circle.

International Economic and Humanitarian Forum Ukrainian ID – dialogue platform initiated by Ukrainian Humanitarian Development Foundation in 2018. The first edition will take place on July 7 in Kaniv. The topic of the Forum is “Roadmap for tomorrow” to create an action plan for Ukraine and world in modern economic conditions and principles of human security.

Among the speakers: John Herbst (director, Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center), Natalie Jaresko (Executive Director of Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, Former Minister of Finance of Ukraine (2014-2016)), Dmytro Bondarenko (CEO, “LIGA” Group), Gennadiy Chyzhykov (president, Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry), Christopher Dickey (world news editor, The Daily Beast), Lilia Hrynevych (Minister of Science and Education of Ukraine), Anna Nemtsova (corresponden, The Daily Beast, Newsweek), Vlasta Shovkovska (chief of “Ty ne odyn” Charitable Foundation 1+1 Media), Michael Bociurkiw (journalist, writer, commentator), Kadie Ward (senior advisor, PLEDDG project), Yurii Tkachenko (Governor of Cherkasy region), Alexa Chopivsky (Executive Director of American Center for a European Ukraine, Executive Director of Ukraine House Davos), Thomas Brunner (managing partner, “AgroPlus – 2006”), Yurii Filyuk (CEO of "23 restaurans" company, co-founder of urban project "Warm City"), Daniel Bilak (Director UkraineInvest and Chief Investment Adviser to the Prime Minister of Ukraine), Costa Vayenas (Director of the Procivis Think Tank at Procivis AG), Pavlo Gvozdenko (Deputy Head of the State Water Resources Agency of Ukraine), James Brooke (founder, Ukraine Business News).

To find out more about the Forum and register for participation, please visit www.ukr-id.com.

 

Ukrainian ID Awards – annual award for outstanding achievements and best practices towards prosperity and humanization of the humankind. It is awarded to citizens of any country and organizations (except political) that made a great contribution to sustainable development. The author of the sculpture of the Ukrainian ID Awards is young sculptor from Kharkiv, Serhii Shaulis.