Everyone knows about the director of one movie – Oleg Sentsov, but almost nobody knows that in a Kherson prison, in the cell neighbouring to Kirill Vyshinsky, there is the author of numerous documentaries, the cameraman of feature films of the Dovzhenko film studio Oleg Sagan.
This film director and his family, pursued by the current authorities, need urgent help. This was reported by the Kiev publicist Dmitry Skvortsov on his blog.
According to him, after working on his latest movie as the main director (“About crazy love, a sniper, and an astronaut“) Oleg Sagan completely devoted himself to documentary cinema — “about the life of the canonical Church in Ukraine during an era of the formation of Filaret’s and autocephalous splits and the persecution of Orthodox Christians in Galicia by Uniates. The unity of the peoples of Malaya [Ukraine – ed], Belaya [Belarus – ed], Velikaya [Russia – ed], and Karpatskaya [Rusyns – ed] Rus” was the main thought of each of his movies.
In recent years, in connection with the impossibility to film in Ukraine such movies and programs, Oleg Sagan went to the Russian Federation, where he filmed advertising in order to earn money for the medical treatment of his wife.
When crossing the Russian-Ukrainian border he was detained. Since November 2018 the 63-year-old director has been in the Kherson pre-trial detention center according to Article 101/2 – infringement on the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
As Oleg reported through his lawyer, he and the editor-in-chief of RIA “Novosti Ukraine” Kirill Vyshinsky in frosty days were transported in iron boxes for interrogations, having left them to become glued [due to the frost – ed] to the seats because of the impossibility to stand up. “The investigator (…) kept Sagan for 8 hours in handcuffs, without allowing him to get up, and left him without food for two days. Such things according to international law are qualified as torture,” highlighted Skvortsov.
According to him, the investigating authorities blocked the pension of the director, and as a result his wife, Galina Melikhova, was left out-of-pocket for medical treatment and accommodation.
Oleg Sagan asks to save his wife and to give help for the acquisition of medicines and food.
The “ukraina.ru” website found Oleg Sagan’s acquaintances, who say that he is a great director and camera operator and don’t believe that he is guilty. They also say that his family was practically deprived of their means of livelihood. But they refuse to make public comments as they fear that it can harm Oleg Sagan in court.
As the lawyer of Sagan, Valentine Rybin, reported to “ukraina.ru”, the director is charged under Part 2 of Article 110 – infringement of the territorial integrity of Ukraine: “this is a standard set, it is what the SBU of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea [how Kiev refers to Russian Crimea – ed] presents”.
Allegedly he published some materials on a YouTube video channel that promoted the violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine. This is full ravings, but, nevertheless, the person is in prison without an alternative measure of restraint, he can’t be released. And as far as I know, his wife is ill – seriously too, she practically can’t get up. That’s why he asks for help, so that the family is supported with medicines and money at least to a minimum level. Because earlier he was the only source of income, and now his wife is left in fact to the mercy of fate
Oleg Sagan is a person who is indeed very famous in cine circles, he is a talented director and camera operator. However, the law enforcement authorities of Ukraine deprived him not only of freedom and the possibilities of creativity, they also left the family of the documentary film maker without the means of support. And this, perhaps, is the most terrible torture for Sagan.
Contacts:
Galina Melikhova Ivanovna,
Kiev, 9 Kruglaya Street,
postal code – 03138,
Tel: +38 – 093-515-3721, +38 – 067-500-2264
Transfers can be made to the card “Monobank Universal” 5375 4141 0713 7274 Galina Melikhova
For those who want to help Oleg Borisovich Sagan:
73024 Kherson,
10 Perekopskaya Street, pre-trial detention center, cell 13
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