The ALDE Group calls on High Representative Mogherini to adopt a Savchenko List - Hoofdinhoud

At the initiative of ALDE Group Vice-President, Petras Auštrevičius, 57 MEPs from five of the biggest political Groups in the European Parliament have co-signed a letter addressed to High Representative, Federica Mogherini, calling on the EU to adopt targeted sanctions against those Russian officials involved in the kidnapping, unlawful detention, imprisonment and fabrication of charges against the Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko.

ALDE Group leader, Guy Verhofstadt, who co-signed the letter said:

"It is time the European Union backs its calls for the release of Nadia Savchenko by adopting concrete measures. We have an obligation to make sure that those who are responsible for Savchenko's abduction and detention, those who violate international law, fundamental human rights as well as the Minsk agreement are prevented from profiting from European rule of law."

The sanctions requested by MEPs are restricting access into the EU of these persons, blocking their access to bank accounts and seizing their property if that exist on the EU territory.

MEP Hans van Baalen (VVD, The Netherlands), ALDE spokesman on Russia and Ukraine, added:

“The EU has been watching, without doing anything, for almost two years now. Nadiya Savchenko's life is in danger and there are hundreds if not thousands of similar cases of citizens abused by the Russian judiciary. Targeted sanctions must be applied as Moscow doesn’t show any willingness to enter dialogue.”

The 29 persons included on the targeted sanction’s list are citizens of the Russian Federation and they were chosen by experts of the Open Dialog Foundation, a Human Rights NGO, upon the advice of Nadiya Savchenko's Russian lawyers and representatives of the human rights community.

ALDE Group Vice-President, Petras Auštrevičius (Liberal Movement of Lithuania), concluded:

"Nadiya Savchenko's case is a true reflection of what Russia's leadership and judiciary have become today. This country is becoming a criminal state, starting at the very top. The European Union is obliged to find adequate means to deal with such a Russia. Today we are trying to free Nadiya Savchenko, a Ukrainian citizen, but there are many cases where the criminal methods of the Russian judiciary are being applied against Russian citizens. The only right response from us must be: those who are criminals are not welcomed in the EU, their place is on the EU's sanction lists."

Nadiya Savchenko, a 34 years old Ukrainian military pilot and member of the Ukrainian Parliament, Verkhovna Rada, has been kept in detention in Russian prisons since mid-June 2014 when she was kidnapped in the East of Ukraine and illegally transferred to Russia. All attempts of the international community to free Nadiya Savchenko have been so far unsuccessful.

The letter addressed to High Representative Federica Mogherini, co-signed by 57 MEPs