BRUSSELS – The European Parliament at its plenary session in Strasbourg on April 30 adopted a resolution condemning Russia for illegal detention of Ukrainian pilot Nadia Savchenko in prison and warned it of possible international sanctions and prosecution of those responsible.
The European Parliament “calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Nadia Savchenko; condemns the Russian Federation for the illegal kidnapping, the detention in prison for nearly one year and the investigation of Nadia Savchenko.”
MEPs demand that the Russian authorities respect their international commitment in the framework of the Minsk Agreements and in particular the agreed “Complex of measures for the implementation of the Minsk Agreements.” The European Parliament considers that “Russia has no legal basis or jurisdiction to take any action against Nadia Savchenko, such as detention, investigation or bringing charges against her.”
“[The European parliament] is of the opinion that Nadia Savchenko’s detention as a prisoner of war in a prison in Russia is a violation of the Geneva Convention; underlines that those responsible for her illegal detention in Russia may face international sanctions or legal proceedings for their actions,” the resolution reads.
The lawmakers reminded the Russian authorities that Savchenko remains in an extremely fragile state of health and that they are directly responsible for her safety and well-being; and called on the Russian authorities to allow impartial international doctors and international humanitarian organizations access to the Ukrainian woman.
The resolution also contains a call for the immediate release of all other Ukrainian citizens, including Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov and Khaizer Jemilev, illegally detained in Russia.
The European Parliament also urges the president of France and the chancellor of Germany, as well as the relevant foreign ministers, to raise the question of the release of Nadia Savchenko at the next meetings of the Contact Group on the implementation of the Minsk Agreements in the Normandy format.
The MEPs called on the vice president of the European Commission, EU high representative for foreign affairs, the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to continue to follow closely Savchenko’s case, to raise it in different formats and meetings with the Russian authorities, and to keep the European Parliament informed about the outcome of these efforts.
