PACE called on Russian Federation to continue prisoner exchanges in "all for all" format. PHOTO
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe calls on the international community to support negotiations between Ukraine and Russia on the speedy exchange and release of all prisoners of war.
This is stated in the adopted resolution, which was unanimously supported by 88 deputies at the PACE session in Strasbourg," said Maria Mezentseva-Fedorenko, head of the permanent delegation of Ukraine to PACE and member of the Coordination Headquarters, Censor.NET reports.
The document emphasises the need to establish an international mechanism for the exchange of prisoners in the format of "all for all" with the participation of the International Committee of the Red Cross and neutral countries. The resolution emphasises that the release of all Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians should be a priority.
The Assembly also strongly condemned Russia's appalling treatment of Ukrainian prisoners, which qualifies as war crimes and crimes against humanity. According to the resolution, 95 per cent of the released Ukrainian prisoners of war were subjected to torture, sexual violence, or inhuman treatment in captivity.
It is also noted that Russia systematically violates the Third Geneva Convention by denying prisoners medical care, adequate food, hygiene, and communication with their families, and also blocks access of international organisations to places of detention.
"The situation of Ukrainian prisoners of war is particularly dramatic: they are subjected to summary executions, widespread and systematic torture and ill-treatment amounting to war crimes. This state of affairs calls for urgent intervention by the international community," the resolution stresses.
According to the adopted document, Belarus is officially included in the list of countries holding Ukrainian prisoners. The Assembly calls on the Russian Federation to create specialised camps for prisoners with proper conditions, medical care, food, and legal assistance, to establish a Mixed Medical Commission to examine the wounded and sick, and to create an official Bureau of Information on Prisoners.
The Coordination Headquarters is grateful to the Ukrainian delegation to PACE for drafting and presenting the resolution, as well as for making amendments and defending the fundamentally important provisions.
