By KYIV. Dec 6 (Interfax-Ukraine) – United States Attorney General Merrick Garland has notified four servicemen associated with Russia of suspicion of ill-treatment of a U.S. citizen, according to the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine (PGO).
“U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland reported suspicions of torture and ill-treatment of an American citizen to four servicemen associated with Russia. This is the first time that war crimes committed during Russian aggression have been brought to justice within the jurisdiction of foreign countries,” it said on the Telegram channel on Wednesday.
The PGO said referring to the U.S. Attorney General that this is the first case of prosecution under the U.S. war crimes law.
“Four people have been identified, suspected of abducting the victim from the house where he lived in the village of Mylove in Kherson region. According to the American side, the victim was illegally detained for ten days, tortured and ill-treated. They beat him, threatened with sexual violence and murder,” it said.
According to the report, the U.S. Attorney General also thanked the Ukrainian PGO for the significant assistance provided during the investigation.
“The PGO constantly cooperates with American colleagues and exchanges information on international crimes of the Russian Federation. Thanks to the Memorandum of Cooperation, which was signed by Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in September 2022, this cooperation has reached a new level and brings tangible results,” the PGO said.
The PGO also noted that it sincerely welcomes the work of its American colleagues and is ready to continue to fully assist and provide all the necessary information.
