European Parliament demands Russian authorities release Nadiya Savchenko - Hoofdinhoud
MEPs voted today an urgency resolution asking Russian authorities to release Ukrainian pilot, Nadiya Savchenko, held in prison since June 2014. No trial date has yet been set and multiple appeals to the courts to release her have been rejected.
MEP Hans van Baalen (VVD, The Netherlands), ALDE spokesman on Ukraine and Russia, calls on Russian President, Vladimir Putin to immediately release Ms. Savchenko:
"There is no reason whatsoever to detain her in Russia and to strip her of her rights. Not releasing Ms. Savchenko is a sincere violation of the Minsk II agreement."
ALDE Vice-President, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS (Liberal Movement of Lithuania) said Russian authorities must respect international agreements:
"Time and time again we have appealed to the Russian authorities to release Nadiya Savchenko, via in a number of resolutions of the European Parliament and individual letters from its members.
We don’t expect Russia to answer, but we expect Russia to act in a civilised and European manner, in keeping with the 21st century . It is appalling that President Putin chooses to keep Nadiya Savchenko as his personal prisoner. As a consequence,a "Savchenko list", just like the "Magnitsky list", are fast becoming the tools of dealing with Putin's Russia, which is very sad. President Putin, release Nadiya Savchenko!"
ALDE MEP, Beatriz Becerra (Spain, UPyD), added:
“Nadiya, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, is the victim of a purely political imprisonment. Both the European Union and the Member States must demand the Russian Federation complies with its international obligations -including the Minsk Protocol- and sets Savchenko free. She must immediately be returned to Ukraine.”
Since her detention, Nadiya Savchenko, an air force helicopter pilot, has been elected to the Ukrainian Parliament. Her defence asked the court to replace detention with home arrest, as she agreed to live in the premises of the Ukrainian Embassy, but the court rejected her request. In December 2014, Ms Savchenko declared a hunger strike in protest at her detention. After 83 days, she abandoned the protest due to serious health issues.