Фото: REUTERS
A total of 109 Ukrainian political prisoners are being illegally held in the occupied Crimea and the Russian Federation, says Ukraine's Ombudsperson Liudmyla Denisova.
Her statements came on the air of Radio Free Europe "Crimea.realities" portal, as Denisova reported on social media.
Людмила Денісова
"As of today, 109 people are being held in penitentiary facilities. Of these, 33 people remain in the occupied Crimea; two are serving their sentences, 30 are being held in a pre-trial detention centre, and one is undergoing trial. The rest are in Russia. Some are also serving their sentences, and some are being held in pre-trial detention centres," Denisova said.
When asked by the host, which categories of citizens are most often subjected to political persecution, the Ukrainian Ombudsperson clarified that 75 of these 109 illegally detained persons are Crimean Tatars.
She recalled that in September 2019, a total of 35 people were handed over to Ukraine.
Earlier, Denisova stated that since the beginning of January, the number of illegally detained citizens of Ukraine in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions had increased, now accounting for 267 people.
