Oleg SENTSOV was interviewed in Kiev (Ukraine) on the 19 November 2019. He speaks on the Sakharov Prize, his current and future activities, his call for the liberation of the remaining political prisoners in Russia,...

Interview by Oleg SENTSOV, Sakharov Prize 2018: extracts

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/17783436/I181096Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

SOUNDBITE (Russian), Oleg SENTSOV, In prison there is nothing interesting and I would say that it does not interest me much to talk about it. Because I am already at liberty but a very large number of people are still in prison. At least a hundred people, most of them the Crimean Tatars, remain imprisoned in Russia accused in the same way as me of an unlawful activity against Russia. These accusations are also false but these people are still there. At least 227 people remain captured at the separatists in Donbass and the conditions of their detention are much worse than I had in Labytnanghi. That's why it's important to talk about them. What happened to me is already in the past. I do not want to look at the past, I want to look at the present and the future

SOUNDBITE (Russian), Oleg SENTSOV, And now the problem, what I can talk about, I believe, are our prisoners who are still there. And their conditions are much heavier, because I'm a better known person, and so we were more careful with myself

SOUNDBITE (Russian), Oleg SENTSOV, I have of course heard about it. It was rather an echo of the voices that reached me, I knew something was happening. But of course I did not know the details, we tried to isolate myself to the maximum of all this, ben the jailers, that I do not know anything and therefore I do not know that I was supported. When someone is alone and does not know that it is supported it is more difficult. But I knew that I was supported and it helped me to hold. And thank you very much for this support.

SOUNDBITE (Russian), Oleg SENTSOV, I was first told that my application was for this award. And then I was written that I received it. I was asked to write a speech for the awarding of this award and wrote it. My sister (cousin) read this speech. As I was before the Sakharov Prize, I stayed the same after receiving this award. It did not affect me at all. Why should this influence me? I can not understand.

SOUNDBITE (Russian), Oleg SENTSOV, This attracts more attention to you personally. You know when the light illuminates a black room the cockroaches start to go in all directions, and when there is no light, cockroaches eat. But if cockroaches eat bread in the kitchen, ..... That's all. Because it's a strong light, that's why I was not devoured. But there are still people who stay in the dark room and we always devour them, and I talk about it, I talked about it before and I'll talk about it.

SOUNDBITE (Russian), Oleg SENTSOV, What can we risk for freedom? All ! Because freedom is what is most precious. So there is nothing more expensive than freedom and we can give everything for her. I will have two main axes in my activity. I'm going to do cinema like before. I am back in this process and hopefully we can start shooting my film in a year ... I will also continue to make public activity more active and, so to speak, formally and professionally. I will organize very soon an NGO, with other people, activists, who will not only be concerned with the defense of human rights and cultural activism but in general with all the problematic societal issues that are related to our country, which are topical.

SOUNDBITE (Russian), Oleg SENTSOV, I was always a normal man (in the sense "like the others"), before this so-called status that you speak but I do not understand very well and after obtaining this status, it has no impact on me. I simply feel within myself moral obligations to our guys who are still in captivity, at least the duty to talk about these people on all platforms to hear me, so that we do not forget them and do all that is possible for Putin to make them (free) as he has made us ....

SOUNDBITE (Russian), Oleg SENTSOV, And secondly, of course as a human, as a citizen I will do all I can for my country ... Because we did it during Maidan, we did it before and we will continue to do it until we build a normal European country, and not the state we have now: it's not communism, it's not capitalism, it's not Europe, it's not is not Asia, it is an old Soviet republic that is stuck in I do not know what swamp ... So we want to get our country out of this swamp.

SOUNDBITE (Russian), Oleg SENTSOV, From the outside ... almost nothing has changed. Neither Kiev nor the country. I have already traveled a little, I have seen a few more cities, but there are few changes even outside, yes. And it shows something ... Because everything is a bit like before ... We stomp. We are trampling. But people are changing. There is ... what I saw in Maidan, people like those who met there, their numbers are growing, people who have the European way of thinking, people who want to do something for their country, understand that their action depends on something. They do not sit on the couch waiting for someone to do everything for them, someone to come and give them money, not those people who are willing to work. Simply for the moment our civil society could not conquer the state (it speaks of the existing system). Now the new power has come. We watch his activity carefully, whether they will succeed or not, and then we will see

SOUNDBITE (Russian), Oleg SENTSOV, You must understand that people did not elect Zelenski, they voted against Poroshenko. That's the main thing you have to understand, it was a protest vote. Because everyone saw what the previous power represented, many did not like it. I myself did not like several actions of the previous power. Above all, good for international politics it was pretty good, but in politics inside the country there were a lot of questions, a lot of problems for everyone and therefore the people did not re-elected. He elected the second candidate and this second candidate was already Zelenski

SOUNDBITE (Russian), Oleg SENTSOV, I do not know, I did not watch his films, his shows, I'm not fond of this type of creation, but that does not mean that he will be a bad president. For example, I am an admirer of the creation of Vakarchuk, I like his songs, but that does not guarantee that it will be a good policy. These things are not related. That's why: who will live will see. Time always puts things in order. It is not possible in the historical perspective even if it is a few next years to deceive people and try to be the one who you are not in reality. Everything will be clear, we will understand everything.

SOUNDBITE (Russian), Oleg SENTSOV, I do not have nostalgia. I do not regret anything, I do not look in the past. Every day when I wake up in the morning I start a new life. What was in the past I do not look at it. There is a good proverb: he who turns his face to the past, turns his ass to the present or the future. I do not want it. I turn and look to the future. What has happened is past. But Maidan was the main and most important event in my life, and I am very happy and happy to have participated.

SOUNDBITE (Russian), Oleg SENTSOV, I am not seeing. I am not Nostradamus. I do not look in the magic crystal, I'm not Baba Vanga (the famous seer at home known from Soviet times). I do not see the future, we can not know the future. We can get out of here and be crushed together by a trolleybus. We do not know our future. But I'm just certain that with Putin's departure, with his death or I do not know, with his dismissal in one way or another, when finally the power in Russia will have changed, Ukraine will have a chance to recover Donbass and Crimea

SOUNDBITE (Russian), Oleg SENTSOV, It will be much more difficult to take over the Crimea, because in principle the Russians do not need Donbass and they need Crimea. But Ukrainians and the international community must support Ukraine in its struggle for the return of Crimea. We must never forget it. Because Putin, the fact that he attacked Ukraine, that he occupied our territory and that he killed 14,000 of our citizens, that is, so to speak, our problem, our pain, but you have to understand that the reshuffling of borders after the Second World War is a bad precedent. That is, if he has managed to do it then someone else can succeed.

SOUNDBITE (Russian), Oleg SENTSOV, And in the world there are many disputed territories, the borders were changed very often, and if we come back to these questions, this conflict will be like a Pandora's box, if it is opened it will invade the whole world. That's how you have to understand it. And Europe itself is interested as well as the whole international community, not to allow this precedent, it is necessary to return the Crimea so that everything is done according to the rules according to which everybody lives and plays.

Interview by Oleg SENTSOV, Sakharov Prize 2018: extracts

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Oleg SENTSOV, Sakharov Prize 2018