Rada calls on world to help free Sushchenko, other political prisoners

The Verkhovna Rada has called on international partners to condemn Russia's political repression and demand the release of Ukrainian political prisoners of the Kremlin.

The resolution "On the appeal of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the parliaments of foreign states and the parliamentary assemblies of international organizations regarding the conviction of Russia's political repression against citizens of Ukraine as a result of Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine and the release of political prisoners - citizens of Ukraine" was supported by 241 MPs at a parliament meeting on Thursday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The need for the adoption of this appeal is stipulated by the urgent need to ensure an end to Russia's political repression against Ukrainian citizens as a result of Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine and the release of political prisoners - citizens of Ukraine, as well as strict observance of the norms of international humanitarian law in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol, as well as some areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions," the explanatory note says.

The resolution, first of all, condemns Russia's continuing armed aggression against Ukraine, emphasizes the inadmissibility of any violations by the Russian occupation authorities of human rights and freedoms in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, as well as the fact that Russia, as an occupying power, is fully responsible for the violation of the rights of the civilian population in the occupied territory.

The Verkhovna Rada also called on the parliaments of foreign states and the parliamentary assemblies of international organizations to condemn Russia's actions against the territorial integrity of Ukraine, to condemn the violation by the Russian occupation administration of fundamental human rights and freedoms in occupied territories and to assist in the liberation of Ukrainian citizens, who are illegally held by Russia on groundless and politically motivated charges.

The list of Ukrainian citizens illegally held by Russia includes Oleh Sentsov, Roman Sushchenko, Oleksandr Kolchenko, Pavlo Hriy, Volodymyr Balukh, Stanislav Klykh, Mykola Karpiuk, Emir-Usein Kuk, and others. 

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