The European Union and Ukraine have called on Russia and Belarus to ensure the immediate, safe and unconditional return of Ukrainian civilians they say have been arbitrarily detained, unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred since Russia’s full-scale invasion and its earlier occupation of Crimea.
The joint statement was issued in Brussels on Monday after discussions held on the margins of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, according to the EU and Ukraine.
Arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, widespread and systematic torture and ill-treatment — including sexual violence — as well as unlawful deportation to Russia and forced transfers within occupied Ukrainian territory have been widely documented, including in recent reports by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the statement said.
It added that civilians including local officials, journalists, activists, volunteers and religious figures remained subject to politically motivated prosecutions, torture and inhumane detention conditions.
Russia was also accused of preventing independent observers, the press and the public from accessing temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine.
Access for Red Cross and information on missing people
Russia was accused of refusing to confirm the identity, location and fate of Ukrainians held in captivity or reported missing, in violation of obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law, the statement declared.
The International Committee of the Red Cross should be able to fulfil its mandate, including access to all places where Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees are held, and help confirm the fate and whereabouts of missing people in line with the Geneva Conventions, it added.
The EU and Ukraine also reiterated calls to uphold international humanitarian and human rights law for all prisoners, including ceasing executions and the use of torture against prisoners of war and civilian detainees.
The statement reaffirmed support for accountability for international crimes and other violations of international law linked to Russia’s war, and referred to work within the Council of Europe on a proposed Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine and an International Claims Commission for Ukraine.
