Russia uses torture and illegal imprisonment of civilians as weapon of war - Prosecutor General Kostin
At the International Platform for the Release of Civilians Illegally Detained by the Russian Federation, Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin said that 204 people have been served with suspicion notices in Ukrainian criminal proceedings regarding the illegal deprivation of liberty of civilians, 158 people are being tried in courts, and 33 people have been convicted.
According to Censor.NET, the Prosecutor General's Office reported this in a telegram.
Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin took part in the launch of the International Platform for the Release of Civilians Illegally Detained by the Russian Federation. This is an important step in the implementation of the Fourth Point of the President's Peace Formula. It aims to unite efforts to rescue thousands of Ukrainian civilians who have been abducted by Russia and are currently in captivity.
As noted, the first meeting of the International Platform, organized by the Office of the Ombudsman of Ukraine, was attended by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andrii Yermak, Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria Nikolai Denkov, as well as more than 50 participants from different countries and international organizations.
"As of today, 204 people have been notified of suspicion in Ukrainian criminal proceedings on illegal deprivation of liberty of civilians, 158 people are being tried in courts, and 33 people have been convicted," said Andrii Kostin.
The Prosecutor General noted that despite the ongoing work within the framework of national investigations and cooperation with a wide range of international partners and the public sector, there is still no effective international mechanism to ensure the return of civilian detainees to their homeland. This requires coordinated international efforts at the governmental level.
"The international community clearly sees and understands that Russia is using torture and illegal deprivation of liberty as a weapon of war. I firmly believe that the Platform established today will become a platform for developing effective solutions. We will not stop until all Ukrainians abducted by the aggressor return home," he added.
