Vitishko is serving three years in the penal colony for allegedly writing graffiti on an illegal fence in a protected forest in Krasnodar region. An outspoken critic of the Sochi Olympics, about which EWNC wrote a comprehensive report cataloging the numerous environmental violations associated with the construction of the Olympic village and surrounding infrastructure, Vitishko has been unjustly targeted by the Russian authorities for his environmental activism. Denied parole in April 2015, he has served one year and three months of his three year sentence.
press releases
Press Release
Mass Poisoning of the Children in Berezovka: Causes of the Emergency and the Account of Events
On November 28, 2014, at least 19 children and three adults lost consciousness in the school of the village of Berezovka, West Kazakhstan, and were taken to the Burlin district hospital in the city of Aksai. Six children were later transported to the regional hospital in Uralsk. On November 29, the Deputy Head of the Regional Health Administration, M. Aymurzieva reported that there has been exposure to an unknown toxic substance. On December 3, Regional Prosecutor S. Karamanov stated that gases were emitted within the territory of the Karachaganak oil field in excess of the maximum permissible concentrations of hazardous substances.
Widespread Enforced Disappearances and Torture in Turkmenistan: New reports call for immediate action to ‘Prove They Are Alive!’
The ‘Prove They Are Alive!’ campaign, led by an international coalition of human rights groups, held a briefing today at the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), where it launched two reports, Prove They Are Alive!: The Disappeared in Turkmenistan, and Ovadan Depe: Medieval Torture in Modern Turkmenistan.
Press Release: OSCE Asks Turkmenistan To Prove They Are Alive
On July 2, 2014, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly adopted its Baku Declaration, in which it specifically asks the Government of Turkmenistan to provide information on persons who have disappeared in Turkmen prisons, including Boris Shikhmuradov and Batyr Berdiev.
Evgeny Vitishko Has Become a Political Prisoner of the 2014 Olympics
Environmental Watch on the North Caucasus December 20, 2013 Judge Milinchuk sentenced Vitishko – an activist of the Environmental Watch of the North Caucasus – …
Prove They Are Alive: Civil Society Activists in the OSCE Region Demand Information about Those Disappeared for Ten Years in Turkmenistan’s Prisons
This week, civil society activists launched a new campaign, Prove They Are Alive, at the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting of the Organization for Security and …
Five Kilometers of Indifference
Crude Accountability’s new film, “Five Kilometers of Indifference,” describes the many years of struggle of the residents of the village of Berezovka, in western Kazakhstan, to achieve relocation away from one of the world’s largest oil and gas condensate fields, Karachaganak.
The Republic of Chevron — 20 Years of Pollution, Labor Disputes and Harm to Local Communities in Kazakhstan
Crude Accountability announces the publication of its new report, “The Republic of Chevron—20 Years in Kazakhstan,” which chronicles Chevron’s impact on the environment and the rights of workers and local residents through its participation in the development of the Tengiz Oil Field and Karachaganak Oil and Gas Condensate Field in Kazakhstan.
Satellite Images of the Caspian Sea Indicate that Oil Spills and Oil Wealth Rob Citizens of their Environmental and Human Rights in Western Turkmenistan
A report released by Crude Accountability details how oil spills and demolition of homes in the Caspian Sea region, identified through satellite imagery and analyzed …
THE GREAT ENABLERS: International Financial Institutions Pave the Way for the Export of Oil and Gas from the Caspian Region
Crude Accountability’s new report “The Great Enablers: How Investments by International Financial Institutions Threaten the Fragile Caspian Sea Ecosystem,” chronicles the financing by international financial institutions of fossil fuel–related transport and infrastructure projects throughout the Caspian region. These projects enable oil and gas companies to overcome obstacles that would hinder transport of petroleum products to western markets.