Russia sentences elderly woman in Zaporizhzhia region to 11 years for 'donations to Ukrainian army' – ombudsman
Russian occupation authorities have sentenced a 68-year-old woman from the temporarily occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region to 11 years in prison, allegedly for transferring money to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Verkhovna Rada Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets announced this on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.
"Information has appeared in the media about the sentencing of a 68-year-old resident of the temporarily occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region to 11 years in prison allegedly for transferring funds to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces," Lubinets said.
According to him, the case of Halyna Bekhter is further proof that Russian occupiers systematically persecute Ukrainian civilians in occupied territories in an attempt to intimidate people and suppress any support for Ukraine.
"When an elderly woman becomes a target of the repressive machine, it is clear that this is not about 'justice' but about terror against the civilian population. The so-called 'courts' created by the Russian occupation authorities have no legitimacy and cannot issue lawful sentences to citizens of Ukraine," the ombudsman said.
Lubinets said he had sent an appeal to the International Committee of the Red Cross and that efforts are underway to include the woman on the list of civilians illegally detained by the aggressor state.
He also sent a letter to the Russian human rights commissioner requesting confirmation of the Ukrainian woman's place of detention and emphasizing the need to respect her rights.
"Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case. Russia systematically persecutes Ukrainians in the occupied territories, illegally abducts them and subjects them to torture," Lubinets noted.
The ombudsman also called on international partners to pay attention to this serious violation of the Geneva Conventions on the protection of civilians during wartime.
"Ukrainians who have been unlawfully detained must return home. Every single one of them! And we are fighting for the return of each and every person," he said.
Photo: ArmyInform