Ombudsperson concerned over critical condition of Ukrainian illegally held in occupied area

The health of Yevhen Stavtsev, a Ukrainian national who is being unlawfully held at the occupied Makiyivka’s Correctional Facility No. 32, has deteriorated significantly.

This was announced by the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Liudmyla Denisova, Ukrinform reports referring to her Facebook post.

"I am concerned about the critical state of health of Yevhen Stavtsev, a citizen of Ukraine who is being unlawfully held at Makiyivka’s Correctional Colony No. 32 in the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk region," Denisova wrote.

According to the ombudsperson, Stavtsev was abducted on October 6, 2017, by a group of unidentified individuals from his apartment in Donetsk. He was considered missing for several months. Throughout this time, Yevhen Stavtsev was held in secret prisons run by the so-called “ministry of state security” in the occupied areas of Donetsk region, including in the infamous Izolyatsia, where he was subjected to physiological and physical violence.

"He was beaten and tortured with electric shock, as a result of which he lost his teeth and hearing. Yevhen developed ulcerative colitis with total damage to the gastrointestinal tract, which led to constant bleeding. In addition, he suffers from chronic pancreatitis, accompanied by pains, nervous disorders and those of the cardiovascular system, as well as insomnia, constant pain in the heart, joints, and spine," the ombudswoman said.

Denisova has stated that Stavtsev is denied medical care, deprived of contacts and family visits, with the latter being explained by the administration as quarantine-related restrictions.

"Such actions against Yevhen Stavtsev violate both Ukrainian and international law, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions on the Rules of War, the Additional Protocols to the 1977 Geneva Conventions and the 1950 European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms," the Commissioner emphasized.

The ombudsperson has appealed to the ICRC leadership in Ukraine to pay an urgent visit to Yevhen Stavtsev, facilitate his immediate hospitalization, and ensure qualified medical care for the unlawfully held citizen. She also asked Charlotta Relander, the OSCE Coordinator in the Humanitarian Subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group, to intervene personally to provide appropriate assistance.

As reported earlier, in late 2019, Yevhen Stavtsev was illegally sentenced by a so-called “court,” controlled by the Russian occupation administration in Donetsk region, to 14 years in prison for alleged "espionage and participation in a terrorist organization."

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