MEP Michał Boni (EPP, Poland) said on Wednesday 7 September that the fate of political prisoners held in Russia or Crimea is of concern and should be taken into account when reviewing sanctions against Russia.
Boni said the question of political prisoners would be a very strong argument for keeping sanctions in place against Russia. He said at a press conference, attended by former Ukrainian high-profile political prisoner Nadia Savtchenko (see EUROPE 11559), that it was too soon to lift the sanctions. Economic sanctions against Russia are connected with the Minsk Agreements which demand, among other things, the exchange and release of prisoners and illegally detained individuals.
Boni and his colleague Mark Demesmaeker (ECR, Belgium) were supporting Nadia Savtchenko in her bid to see the release of other political prisoners.
Mark Demesmaeker hoped that international pressure would be applied to get political prisoners released. Along with Boni, he said that the Parliament was prepared to support their fight for their relapse. Lyudmyla Kozlovska, chair of the human rights foundation Open Dialog, said the pressure is working. She welcomed the release from psychiatric hospital of Ilmi Umerov, vice-speaker of the Mejlis, the assembly of Tartars in the Crimea. He remains, however, at threat of a potential prison sentence. On a number of occasions, the EU has called for the release of political prisoners, including Umerov (see EUROPE 11611).
Kozlovska hoped that in addition to calling for the release of prisoners, Europe could pressurise Russia to at least allow doctors to visit prison and provide necessary medical treatment to political prisoners in Russia and Crimea.
A European source says at least 29 individuals are in prison for political reasons, 15 of them in Crimea (including Umerov). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)