Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has asked Federal German Chancellor Angela Merkel to step up efforts to free Ukrainian hostages in Donbas and Russia-occupied Crimea, and the chancellor, for her part, said Germany is ready to assist in treatment of Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Ilmi Umerov.
“The president called to increase international efforts for the release of all Ukrainian hostages. The federal chancellor said that Germany is ready to assist in the treatment of Deputy Head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Ilmi Umerov,” the president’s press service reported on the results of Poroshenko’s telephone conversation with Merkel.
As reported, in May investigators from the Crimean department of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) opened a criminal case against Umerov on suspicion of incitement to violation of the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation. On May 13, FSB officers imposed travel restrictions on Umerov. On August 11, a court in Simferopol granted the petition of the FSB investigator on Umerov’s forced forensic psychiatric examination.
On Sept. 7, Umerov was released from a mental hospital.
Earlier in September, Poroshenko in a telephone conversation with Merkel has asked for the possibility of treating Umerov in Germany.
