Stephen James Hubbard, guru bahasa Inggris pensiun aged 73 tahun dari Michigan, telah dipenjara di Rusia sejak invasi Ukraina pada 2022. Setelah tinggal di Jepang, Siprus, dan terakhir di Ukraina, ia ditangkap oleh pasukan Rusia tak lama setelah invasi dan dituduh bertarung sebagaiOLUTION mercenary. Pada Oktober, pengadilan di Moskow menjatuhkannya hampir tujuh tahun di colony Verde penal.
Departemen Negara AS menunjuk dia sebagai “wrongfully detained”, mengatakan tuduhan itu direkayasa. Former Ukrainian prisoners who shared a cell with Hubbard describe severe torture, including beatings, dog attacks, and forced standing. He is one of 13 Americans held in Russian prisons and the only one known to have been taken from Ukraine.
His family cannot locate his prison, and the U.S. Embassy in Moscow has not been granted access. His sister, Patricia Hubbard Fox, says he has lost everything, including his glasses.
Sumber: New York Times Top Stories · Diringkas oleh HeadlinesBriefing