Yerevan to host photo exhibition to demand release of Russian photo-correspondent

YEREVAN, August 26. / ARKA /. Russian ambassador to Armenia, Ivan Volynkin, will attend a photo exhibition in Yerevan on August 28 to be hosted by Moscow House to demand the release of Andrei Stenin.

Stenin, a photojournalist working for Russia Today news agency, was on assignment for the news agency and according to officials, had not been heard from since August 5. He is feared to be held by Ukraine’s security service SBU on charges of terrorism.

Stenin, who is based in Moscow, has covered conflicts worldwide, including in Syria and Libya. The photographer had done extensive work in eastern Ukraine, covering the conflict between the Ukrainian army and pro-Russian insurgents. 

Dmitry Kiselev, the CEO of Russia Today, has demanded the release of the photo journalists. Russian Investigative Committee has launched a criminal case into this case.

Rallies to demand the release of Stenin (#freeAndrew), were held in Belgrade, Serbia, and in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Earlier this month, Anton Herashchenko, an aide to the Ukrainian interior minister, said in an interview with Baltkom radio that security forces had arrested Stenin on charges of “assisting terrorists.” Later Herashchenko claimed he was misinterpreted, saying he only assumed the photographer had been detained but had no precise information.

A number of international organizations and press associations across the world, including OSCE, Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots in Argentina, the Mexican Press Club and many others condemned the alleged kidnapping of Stenin and demanded his immediate release.

Moreover, several international campaigns to support the photographer were held internationally. On Tuesday, some 100 cars took part in a flash mob in Madrid. As part of the campaign, the participants put leaflets with the hashtag «#freeAndrew» on their cars. -0-