Russian officials arrest Ukrainian civilians for "failing to support" the Kremlin's "special military operation," which is Russia's official term for its invasion of Ukraine, The Kyiv Independent website reported on Tuesday.
Ukrainian detainees are seldom charged with specific administrative or criminal offences, according to a new study by British broadcaster the BBC's Russia Service.
This means that they face no "formal investigations, court proceedings, or release dates," making it "impossible for their relatives to find them" in the Russian penal system, The Kyiv Independent reported.
Moreover, people held without charges "have virtually no access to defense counsel," even though "every detainee has the right to a lawyer," attorney Maria Eismont said.
Polina Murygina, whose group Every Human Being searches for civilians in Russian prisons, said that in helping Ukrainian detainees, her organisation "faced a legal paradox: it's better if they think of you as a criminal."
Russia's defence ministry told BBC that civilian detainees were being held "in accordance with" The Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
This convention bans the taking of hostages, but does not otherwise discuss the possibility of civilian prisoners, applying mainly to military captives, The Kyiv Independent noted.
Tuesday is day 685 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
Source: The Kyiv Independent, Ukrainska Pravda
