By KYIV. Dec 9 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The release and return of Ukrainian civilians illegally detained by the Russian Federation should be handled by a specially created platform, Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets believes.
"I am personally negotiating with various international organizations, with various ombudsmen, including Russian ombudsperson [Tatyana] Moskalkova, about initiating … a new platform, the task of which will be the release and return of precisely civilians – citizens of Ukraine, whom I call ‘civilians hostages,’" Lubinets said at a briefing on Friday in Kyiv.
He recalled that according to the Geneva Convention and international law, Russia does not have the right to detain civilians.
"The Russian Federation is doing this en masse," the Ombudsman emphasized.
Lubinets noted that a process is underway to release civilian Ukrainians. The Ombudsman also said that he raised this issue when communicating with Moskalkova.
Lubinets expressed hope that in the near future the Ukrainian society would see the result of the work on the release of civilians.
"And I hope that in the near future I will be able to show the result," Lubinets said.
