You're reading: Ukraine expects Council of Europe’s support in protecting Ukrainians illegally held in Russia

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin and Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe Nils Muiznieks have discussed the detention of Ukrainian journalist Roman Suschenko in Russia.

“In Strasbourg I met with Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe Nils Muiznieks. Two main topics, among others, Suschenko and Umerov,” Klimkin wrote on Twitter.

Later, the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported that during the conversation the Ukrainian foreign minister drew particular attention of the Council of Europe commissioner for human rights to abuses in Russia.

“He noted that Ukraine expects the support and concrete steps from the commissioner in protecting the rights and helping free Ukrainian journalist Roman Suschenko and all other Ukrainian citizens who are political prisoners in the Russian Federation,” the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported on Monday evening.

Klimkin also noted the need to monitor human rights observance in Russia-occupied Crimea and briefed Muiznieks about illegal actions of the Russian occupation authorities against Umerov.

The Russian Federal Security Service reported earlier on Monday on the detention of Suschenko, a correspondent of the Ukrainian National News Agency Ukrinform, and the opening of a criminal case on the basis of the article dealing with espionage. The Moscow Lefortovo Court arrested Suschenko for two months on October 1.

Kyiv called the journalist’s detention a provocation and said the espionage accusations made against him are baseless

As reported, in May investigators from the Crimean department of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) opened a criminal case against Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Ilmi 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 September 7, Umerov was released from a mental hospital.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko asked German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the possibility of treating Umerov in Germany.