Delegation to the Council of Europe

1229 th Meeting of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers Strasbourg, 3 June 2015

EU statement on Nadiya Savchenko and other Ukrainian citizens illegally detained by the Russian Federation

The European Union deplores the ongoing detention of Ms Nadiya Savchenko, who was illegally arrested in by pro-Russian separatists, transferred to and remains to date in pre-trial detention. The EU deeply regrets that on 6 May, a court in once more extended the pre-trial detention of Ms. Savchenko until 30 June.

Ms Savchenko was on hunger strike for a long time. Her health is now stable but remains fragile. The EU urges Russia to provide Ms Savchenko with access to the medical support she needs.

The prolonged detention of Ms Savchenko and the intention of the Russian authorities to put her on trial are not in keeping with the agreements, which provide for the release of all hostages and detained persons related to the conflict in and around Ukraine. The European Union would also like to recall that Ms Savchenko was elected as a member of the Ukrainian Parliament in the October 2014 Ukrainian general parliamentary election and is part of Ukraine’s delegation to PACE. Any immunity she might enjoy in this regard should be respected.

The European Union once again calls on Russia to respect its international commitments and to immediately release Nadiya Savchenko, Oleh Sentsov and all other Ukrainian citizens illegally arrested, transferred and detained in Russia.

The countries ALBANIA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, GEORGIA, ICELAND, LIECHTENSTEIN, THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA, MONTENEGRO, NORWAY, THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBPLIC OF MACEDONIA, TURKEY and UKRAINE aligned themselves with the statement.