Trial of journalist Semena in Crimea adjourned again

Semena's trial has been adjourned three times due to different reasons since it started on March 20, according to Radio Liberty. The trial resumed on May 3, but the judge adjourned it for one week after two witnesses for the prosecution did not show up in the courtroom. Semena faces up to five years in prison if convicted by Russia, which has jailed several Crimeans who have opposed or criticized Moscow's 2014 seizure of the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine. The charge against Semena stems from his 2015 article criticizing Russia’s seizure of the Ukrainian peninsula. Semena insists he is innocent, saying Crimea's status was and remains in dispute – and that he has the right to openly express his opinions. Activists say his trial is part of a persistent Russian clampdown on independent media and dissent in Crimea since Moscow's takeover.