Ukraine’s human rights commissioner denied access to political prisoners for five days in Russia

18.06.2018 16:42

Ukrinform

Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova, who now is making visit to Russia, has been denied access to Roman Sushchenko and other political prisoners to conceal the information about their health status and exert psychological pressure on them.

This opinion was expressed by First Vice Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Iryna Gerashchenko.

"Despite the agreements reached at the highest level, Liudmyla Denisova, who has been in the Russian Federation for five days already, has been denied access to Ukrainian political prisoners (she was not allowed to visit Oleg Sentsov, Mykola Karpiuk, Roman Sushchenko). Concealing the truth about the prisoners, denial of access to them, is most likely to indicate the deterioration of health of Ukrainians, psychological pressure on them," Gerashchenko wrote on Facebook.

She added that today Denisova would meet with her Russian counterpart Tatyana Moskalkova. Ukraine’s human rights commissioner will raise the issue of Russia's non-compliance with the agreements of the presidents on access to persons in the custody.