Kiev’s refusal to drop charges against detainees threatens future POW exchanges – Morozova

Donetsk, Jun 23 – DAN. Ukraine’s refusal to meet its commitments to drop charges against the detainees threatens future POW exchanges, the Donetsk Republic representative to the Contact Group humanitarian subgroup, DPR ombudswoman Darya Morozova said on Tuesday.

“The humanitarian subgroup members discussed the legal clearance of the persons released in previous prisoner exchanges,” Morozova said. ”Ukraine refused to honour its commtiments to drop prosecution of the detainees. This practice challenges all further exchanges.”

She believes it to be direct threat to people’s safety as Kiev might resume their criminal prosecution after the exchange.

“These apprehensions are conspicuously proven by the second arrest of former exchange participant Sergey Pastukhov, who was detained on June 15, 2020, despite Ukraine’s guarantees that all the detainees participating in the exchange would not be prosecuted,” the ombudswoman said.

Ukraine and the Donbass Republics last exchanged prisoners on April 16, 2020. Donetsk handed over nine people to Kiev and got ten. The DPR dropped charges against all the persons handed over to Ukraine but the latter did not meet its legal clearance commitment.*jk

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