Iryna Gerashchenko, Dominik Stillhart discuss Ukrainian prisoners held in Russia and occupied Crimea

First Vice-Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Iryna Gerashchenko and Director of Operations of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Dominik Stillhart discussed the issue of Ukrainian prisoners in Russia and the occupied Crimea.

"I met with the ICRC's Director for Operations, Dominik Stillhart. The key topics of the meeting included the ICRC’s access to prisons in the occupied territories, to Ukrainians in prisons of the Russian Federation, search for missing persons, intensification of humanitarian mine clearance, assistance in solving humanitarian problems of Ukrainians affected by Russia’s armed aggression in Donbas," she wrote on Facebook.

According to her, the main attention during the meeting was given to hostages and political prisoners held in Russia in complete isolation, without the admission of independent doctors and representatives of international humanitarian missions.

Gerashchenko urged the ICRC to make efforts and check the conditions of detention and health of the Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia and the occupied Crimea.

About 70 Ukrainian political prisoners, including Ukrinform journalist Roman Sushchenko, who was sentenced to 12 years in a high-security penal colony for alleged espionage, are currently held in Russia and in the occupied Crimea.

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