Human Rights Commissioner Denisova: 251 Ukrainians held hostage in Donbas

As many as 251 Ukrainian citizens are being held captive in Russia-occupied Donbas; however, it is currently impossible to monitor the observance of their rights and conditions of detention in prisons.

Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova said this during a working meeting with British Ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons on December 11, Ukrinform reports with reference to the ombudsperson's Facebook page.

"... Some 251 Ukrainian citizens are being held captive in the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas. It is currently impossible to monitor the observance of their rights and conditions in places of detention. Therefore, I asked the ambassador to appeal to the International Committee of the Red Cross to make additional efforts to ensure their access to those territories and appropriate monitoring," Denisova noted.

In addition, the human rights commissioner called on the ambassador to ask representatives of her country to support a UN General Assembly resolution on the human rights situation in the occupied Crimea during the December 16 vote.

The interlocutors also discussed the possibility of cooperation regarding the provision of technical and expert support in strengthening the institutional capacity of the Office of the Ombudsman of Ukraine through the creation of an Educational Center for Human Rights with representative offices in the regions to raise the legal awareness of citizens about their rights.

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