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Amnesty International: Nine Ukrainian activists detained by militants in the Donbass in 2016

01/26/2017 03:44:35 pm
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Representatives of the Amnesty International human rights organization documented the facts of detention of nine pro-Ukrainian activists by militants in the Donbass in 2016. Among them is the theologian scholar Igor Kozlovsky. Krasimir Yankov, Amnesty International human rights researcher said this at the press conference, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"We continue to monitor the fate of illegally detained pro-Ukrainian activists on the territory controlled by Russian-backed separatists. We documented nine such cases over the past year. And in all these cases, the pro-Russian authorities in eastern Ukraine illegally and at their own discretion hold people captive, they get access neither to lawyers, nor to their families", -  Yankov said.

According to him, a well-known religious scholar Igor Kozlovsky, who was arrested more than a year ago, is contained somewhere in Donetsk, probably in prison. Ukrainian blogger Fomichev was also arrested and convicted allegedly for transportation of grenades.

"We believe that their charges are unfair, these people should be released, and the pro-Russian authorities must stop using them and many others as a tool for the exchange of people, detained in Ukraine", - said Yankov.

Also, the director of Amnesty International in Ukraine Oksana Pokalchuk said that the organization collected almost four thousand postcards from all over the world, which contain appeals to the leaders of the so-called "LPR" and "DPR" to stop the practice of illegal detentions.

"We call to promptly, impartially and effectively investigate all credible allegations of illegal detention of persons detained under their control structures, identify and to bring to justice all those involved in such practices," - Pokalchuk read one of the postcard recommendations.

As reported earlier, President of the Center of Religious Investigations and International Spiritual Relations Igor Kozlovsky was detained at the end of January 2016 in the occupied Donetsk. Initially he was accused of illegal weapon possession, later of the "espionage."

The Ukrainian side constantly raises the question of the release of the scholar at Minsk negotiations.