28 Hostages of the Kremlyn

28 HOSTAGES OF THE KREMLIN
9. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The cases, described in this report, show that currently, not one Ukrainian citizen who resides
on the territory of Russia is protected against an unjustified detention and further criminal prosecution
on trumped-up charges.
The case of Eston Kohver proves that European countries are also not protected against the
kidnapping of their citizens by Russia. A new era of the ‘cold war’ between Russia and the West
is accompanied by a demonstrative violation of the sovereignty of European countries (such as
repeated violations of sea and air space of NATO countries by Russian soldiers 96 ). The abduction
and criminal prosecution of citizens of another state also constitutes a threat to the sovereignty
of the state. There is no guarantee that such incidents will not be repeated in the future.
At a time when the judicial and law enforcement system enforces the state order, the outcome
of each of the so-called ‘Ukrainian cases’ is known in advance. Obviously, the question of the
release of the imprisoned Ukrainians is not a legal one, but rather political and diplomatic. The
case of Eston Kohver indicates that international pressure can be effective in the release of
political prisoners in Russia.
Within the framework of the advocacy campaign ‘LetMyPeopleGo’, the Open Dialog
Foundation and the Civic Initiative ‘Euromaidan SOS’ hereby calls on the international community
(international organisations and institutions, governments of the EU Member States, the
governments of Australia, Canada, the USA and Japan) to increase pressure on the Russian
authorities in order to bring about the release of Ukrainians, incarcerated for political reasons.
In order to achieve this, we consider it necessary to:
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1. Organise an international campaign for the defence of the Ukrainian citizens, faced with
unlawful, politically motivated criminal prosecution in Russia and occupied Crimea. In
particular, it is necessary to organise hearings on the topic in the national parliaments
of democratic states and the European Parliament.
2. Create a foundation for emergency aid for Ukrainians and their families, persecuted for
political reasons in Russia and occupied Crimea.
3. Demand that the Russian side respect the basic rights of citizens of Ukraine and the
European Union, included in the list of the campaign ‘LetMyPeopleGo’, such as the right
to life, freedom from torture, the right to a fair trial; ensure access to a counsel, the international
medical missions, as well as Ukrainian and European diplomatic representatives
within the period established in international obligations of the Russian Federation.
4. Promote the provision of qualified legal assistance for Ukrainians, persecuted for political
reasons in Russia and occupied Crimea; provide protection and international support for
lawyers who run criminal cases within the framework of the campaign ‘LetMyPeopleGo’.
5. Organise international observation of the trials of the citizens of Ukraine, imprisoned in
Russia and occupied Crimea for political reasons.
6. Organise monitoring missions to places of detention of Ukrainian citizens, imprisoned for
political reasons in Russia and occupied Crimea. It is necessary to establish control over
the conditions of their detention and their states of health.
96 Ukrainskaya Pravda [‘The Ukrainian Truth’] / NATO will summon a meeting urgently due to the issue of
Russian aircraft in Turkey — www.pravda.com.ua/news/2015/10/5/7083738/