The United States joins Ukraine and others in expressing its deep concern over the continued detention of Ukrainian hostages held by Russia. The detention of these hostages defies the provisions of the Minsk agreements.
We are dismayed that a district court has extended until November 13 the investigation into the case of Verkhovna Rada member and delegate to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Nadiya Savchenko. Ms. Savchenko has suffered greatly during her imprisonment, and we call for her immediate release.
On May 6, the Basmanny District Court chose to deny Ms. Savchenko’s PACE immunity and to extend her pre-trial detention until June 30.
We are also deeply concerned by the Moscow City Court’s decision to extend Crimean filmmaker Oleg Sentsov’s pre-trial detention.
On May 11, Mr. Sentsov will have been held in pre-trial detention for an entire year since his arrest in Crimea on trumped-up terrorism charges.
We call on Russia and the separatists it backs to uphold their Minsk commitments and release without any further delay all detained Ukrainian hostages, including Ms. Savchenko and Mr. Sentsov.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
As delivered by Ambassador Daniel B. Baer to the OSCE Permanent Council, Vienna
