Russia must immediately release detained Ukrainian sailors – UN
Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine Ms. Fiona Frazer stated this while presenting a report on the human rights situation in Ukraine from February 16 to May 15, 2019, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
"The International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea hearing in the case between Ukraine and the Russian Federation was held on 10 and 11 May 2019, with an order on provisional measures issued on 25 May. The provisional measures called for the Russian Federation to immediately release the Ukrainian naval vessels, and immediately release the 24 detained Ukrainian crew members and allow them to return to Ukraine," she said.
The report also calls on both Ukraine and the Russian Federation to refrain from taking any action which might aggravate or extend the dispute.
As Ukrinform reported, on May 25, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea ordered Russia to immediately release Ukrainian military ships and return them to the custody of Ukraine and to immediately release 24 captured sailors.
On November 25, 2018, Russian border guards fired on and seized three Ukrainian Navy ships, the Berdyansk, the Nikopol, and the Yani Kapu, heading from Odesa to Mariupol, near the Kerch Strait. In addition, their crewmembers, 24 Ukrainian sailors, were captured. Three of them were wounded.
A Russian-controlled court in the occupied Crimea arrested all the detained Ukrainian sailors on charges of alleged illegal border crossing. They are held in a remand prison in Moscow now.
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