European Parliament urges Russia to free Ukrainian political prisoners detained in the Crimea
The European Parliament adopted a resolution regarding Ukrainian political prisoners that are being illegally detained by Russia in the annexed Crimea.
The MEPs urged Russia to immediately release these Ukrainians and appealed to the EU with a call for new sanctions against those responsible for this harassment of Ukrainian citizens.
451 Eurodeputies voted for the resolution and 73 opposed it. 86 European parliamentarians abstained from the vote.
In a resolution called "Ukrainian prisoners in Russia and the situation in Crimea," prepared by German European Deputy, Rebecca Harms, and previously supported by all EP political groups, notes that those responsible for the violation of fundamental human rights should be sanctioned.
“The European Parliament calls for further restrictive measures to be imposed on individuals responsible for gross human rights violations, including the freezing of their assets in EU banks,” the document says.
The European Parliament also "requests that the possibility be explored of establishing an international format for negotiations discussing the de-occupation of Crimea, with the participation of the EU, which would be based on international humanitarian law, human rights, and international principles."
Urging the Council of the European Union, the European Parliament called for "finding ways to support Ukraine in the UN International Court in their case to hold the Russian Federation responsible for its support of terrorism in eastern Ukraine and acts of discrimination against ethnic Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars in the annexed Crimea."
According to the latest data by human rights activists, there are at least 44 “Kremlin prisoners” in the annexed territory.