Pro-Ukrainian activist in Russia refused early release

Darya Polyudova was sentenced to two years in a minimum-security penal colony in December, becoming the first person in Russia convicted under a law criminalizing calls for separatism on the Internet that came into force in May 2014. Polyudova's mother, Tatyana Polyudova, wrote on Facebook that a court in the city of Novorossiisk did not provide any reasons for its August 10 decision. Polyudova was indicted in 2014 after she criticized Moscow online for its support of Russia-backed separatists in Ukraine's east, where fighting between government forces and the separatists has killed more than 9,500 people since April 2014. The Moscow-based Memorial Human Rights Center has added Polyudova to its list of political prisoners in Russia.