Ukraine to struggle for Mazur's return home – Deshchytsia

11.11.2019 11:36

Ukrinform

The release of Ukrainian citizen Ihor Mazur, who was detained in Poland on November 9, is only a small victory, Ukraine's Ambassador to Poland Andriy Deshchytsia has said.

"Next, we have the painstaking work and the struggle for Ihor's return to Ukraine. We want to make sure that Russia stops using the Interpol as a tool to find people who are disadvantageous to it or who are its enemies. This is a small, intermediate victory. In fact, we managed to get such a small victory," Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty quoted Deshchytsia as saying.

The date for the first court hearing on the merits is unknown.

"It will depend on the familiarity of Polish law enforcement agencies with the case. We will do everything we can to make it happen as soon as possible and close this case as soon as possible. I'm glad that Ihor is at large, that he is safe at the consulate general in Lublin, and our consuls will take care of him and provide him with all possible assistance," the Ukrainian ambassador said.

Until the end of the trial regarding the extradition of the Ukrainian to Russia or refusal to do so, Mazur will stay in Poland against the guarantees of Ukraine's Consul General in Lublin Vasyl Pavliuk.

Polish border guards detained Mazur, a leader of the UNA-UNSO nationalist organization, on November 9, when he and other Ukrainians were traveling to Warsaw to attend a conference. The reason for his detention was that Russia put him on the international wanted list, accusing him of participation in the Chechen wars in 1994-2000. Mazur denied this information.

"I did not participate in the fighting. I was in Chechnya at the time, but we came there as journalists, and I worked at the press center 'Free Caucasus'," Mazur said in Lublin on November 10.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated that Russia had unlawfully used Interpol's channels and tools for the politically motivated persecution of Ukrainian citizens.