Ukrainian MP: CoE's Human Rights Commission is obstructed by Russia
Huge obstacles for the work of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Nils Muižnieks, have been created in the Russian Federation. This was stated by the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights of Ukraine, Valeriya Lutkovska, while on the air with the ZIK TV channel.
The Ukrainian Ombudsman emphasized that the interference in Muižnieks’ work in Russia began after his last report on the annexed Crimea. “He even had to cancel his last visit because of the conditions he was placed under. According to him, it makes no sense to go to the territory of the Russian Federation,” Lutkovska said.
Lutkovska also reported that her Russian counterpart, Tatyana Moskalkova, is trying to help with the release of Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia.
“The Ombudsman of the Russian Federation herself attests to the conditions in which she has to work in the Russian Federation. In a way, my colleague is trying to help. She promised me, in a private conversation, that she will definitely become engaged in the cases of Karpyuk and Klyh. The representatives of the Russian Ombudsman have at least visited them and received the testimony that they were tortured. Moskalkova promised in June that she would personally control the investigation into these complaints. No further information has been made available since then. However, there was at least some activity,” Lutkovska added.
She also said that she had received requests from Moskalkova concerning Russian prisoners in Ukraine.
“There were six or seven names in one of these requests. However, the request did not specify the place where they were imprisoned. We are currently looking for them as we don't have a unified database of all persons held in detention centers,” Lutkovska said.