You're reading: Rada calls on foreign parliaments to respond to Donbas militants’ threats to execute hostages

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, is concerned about threats voiced by Donbas militants to impose a death penalty on hostages, therefore the Ukrainian parliamentarians call on foreign parliaments, parliamentary assemblies and international organizations to respond to this announcement.

The Ukrainian parliament’s appeal in connection with threats to the life of hostages kept by Russian-backed militants in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions was supported by 239 MPs’ votes on Thursday.

“Of particular concern are recently voiced threats by militants that they are ready to impose a death penalty on hostages,” the appeal said.

Therefore, the Verkhovna Rada calls on the parliaments of foreign states, the parliamentary assemblies and international organizations to employ all existing tools at parliamentary, governmental and non-governmental levels and give a signal to the Russian Federation that assassinations and extrajudicial executions, tortures and other inhumane forms of the treatment of hostages and local residents in occupied areas in Donetsk and Luhansk regions are inadmissible.

The MPs also urged the foreign parliaments and international organizations to demand that the Russian Federation grant the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) immediate access to hostages. They ask to involve the ICRC in operations for the search of missing persons and identification of bodies.

The Verkhovna Rada also insist that Russia free Ukrainian citizens who have illegally been detained by the Russian authorities and Russian-controlled militants. In addition, the Ukrainian lawmakers ask foreign parliaments to call on their governments to extend and toughen restrictive measures against Russia until Russia’s commitments under the Minsk peace agreements have fully been implemented.