Виголошена Постійним представником України при міжнародних організаціях у Відні І.Прокопчуком на засіданні Постійної ради ОБСЄ 28 квітня 2016 року.

Statement 

on “Abduction and illegal detention of Ukrainian citizens

by the Russian Federation”

As for delivery by the Delegation of Ukraine

to the 1098th meeting of the Permanent Council,

28 April 2016

Dear colleagues,

The Delegation of Ukraine again draws the attention of the Permanent Council to the on-going violation by the Russian Federation of the norms of international law, the OSCE commitments and the Minsk agreements as it continues to illegally detain the people’s deputy of Ukraine and PACE member Nadiya Savchenko, Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, civil society activist Oleksandr Kolchenko and others. All these Ukrainian citizens are political prisoners and should have been released under the Minsk agreements, signed by Russia, which has not yet happened. We also remind that Nadiya Savchenko is enjoying diplomatic immunity as a PACE member.

We note the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly’s Resolution 2112, adopted last week, strongly condemning the unlawful arrest, detention and trial of Ms Savchenko in the Russian Federation and calling for her immediate release. The Assembly reiterated Savchenko’s immunity under Article 40.a of the Statute of the Council of Europe and the General Agreement on Privileges and Immunities of the Council of Europe and its Additional Protocol to which the Russian Federation is a Party. The Resolution, in particular, called for targeted sanctions against individuals involved in the unlawful actions against the Ukrainian citizens.

Reacting to the reports of torture and ill-treatment against the illegally detained Ukrainian citizens, the Assembly encouraged the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture or Degrading Treatment or Punishment to establish a special monitoring mission to check the conditions of detention of Ukrainian citizens detained for political motives in the Russian Federation.

We emphasize that the Russian Federation bears full responsibility for the life and health of the Ukrainian citizens illegally detained in Russia.

Distinguished colleagues,

We express our resolute protest against the conviction by the Russian authorities of the Ukrainian citizen Serhii Lytvynov to 8 years and 6 months in prison on trumped-up charges. While the Russian investigators had to drop the initial groundless and absurd charges of the alleged mass murder or the use of prohibited methods of warfare, they proceeded to concocting a new charge about alleged assault by Mr. Lytvynov on a Russian citizen on the territory of Ukraine, highlighting the pre-meditated and political nature of the case.

This unlawful and inhumane verdict, along with the illegal incarceration of Nadiya Savchenko, Oleg Sentsov, Oleksandr Kolchenko, Henadiy Afanasyev, Oleksiy Chirniy, Yuri Soloshenko and Valentyn Vyhivskyi, adds to Russia’s record of disregard for the principles of the rule of law and the universal norms in the field of human rights.

We condemn the on-going judicial farce in the fabricated case against Mykola Karpyuk and Stanislav Klykh, taking place in Grozny, the Russian Federation. While recognizing Mr.Klyh and Mr.Karpyuk as political prisoners, the Russian NGO “Memorial” stressed that their case had been built upon self-incrimination obtained under torture, the case contains a large number of factual errors, including description of non-existent crimes.  

As politically motivated persecution of Ukrainian citizens in Russia constitutes a grave and flagrant violation of human rights it must receive due reaction of the international community.

We urge the Russian Federation to comply with its obligations under international law and the Minsk agreements and to immediately and unconditionally release all Ukrainian citizens illegally detained or imprisoned in Russia.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.