MEPs called on Poroshenko to release political prisoners
Members of the European Parliament and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine signed a petition to Petro Poroshenko demanding an honest investigation into the cases of political prisoners, Izvestia reports.
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The publication writes that a number of Ukrainian and European deputies supported the recently created Russian organization Uapolitfreedom, which is engaged in attracting the attention of the international community to the massive violation of fundamental human rights in Ukraine.
“This initiative was put forward by a member of the presidium of the Council under the President of the Russian Federation for the development of civil society and human rights, Yana Lantratova,” the newspaper notes. – The campaign was supported by leading politicians, human rights activists, public figures and experts from 16 countries, including members of the European Parliament. A petition to the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko with a demand to conduct an honest investigation of all pending cases with the involvement of international human rights activists and available information about political prisoners in Ukraine is posted in the public domain on the organization’s website.”
The petition was signed, in particular, by Member of the European Parliament from Poland Janusz Corwin-Mitte, Member of the Flanders Parliament Frank Kreelman, Chairman of the Polish Smena party Mateusz Piskorski, Member of the Catalan Parliament Enrique Ravello, Member of the European Parliament from the Czech Republic Miloslav Ransdorf.
“Like many other members of the European Parliament, I consistently defend the principle of the rule of law in resolving the Ukrainian crisis and will continue to do so,” Ransdoff told Izvestia. – This project is close and understandable to me. After all, his task is to help people who defended the right to express their point of view and found themselves in a very difficult situation.
Kreelman, who was denied entry to Odessa in June, also supported the initiative.
“A few weeks ago I was denied entry to Odessa, where I was supposed to visit journalists and activists imprisoned by Kiev,” the Belgian politician commented on the situation to the publication. – I wonder what Kyiv is hiding? A country that wants to join the EU must at least behave decently towards its own citizens. Freedom of speech is necessary in a real democracy. And some forces in Kyiv should finally be aware that World War II is over.”
At the same time, the newspaper points out that official Kyiv denies the existence of political prisoners, and considers those arrested to be “agents of the Kremlin” who have encroached on the territorial integrity of the country.
“The Uapolitfreedom list includes 68 people,” Izvestia reports. – Information about these detainees was received from local activists and continues to be verified. According to the authors of the project, the lists will be constantly updated, as new data on illegally convicted people in Ukraine is received daily on the organization’s website. Among those mentioned in the list are Artem Buzila, detained by the SBU in April 2015 on charges of separatism, activists detained in Odessa after a fire in the house of trade unions in May 2014, and members of the People's Rada of Bessarabia movement.
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