The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America on March 8 called on President Barack Obama to demand the immediate release of Nadiya Savchenko. Following is the full text of the UCCA’s statement.
The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), the representative organization of over 1 million Americans of Ukrainian decent, sent an urgent letter to President Obama imploring him to use all diplomatic efforts to secure the immediate and unconditional release of Nadiya Savchenko, former Ukrainian Air Force pilot, Iraq war veteran, member of Ukraine’s Parliament and delegate to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, from Russian prison.
Breaking all international conventions, Lt. Savchenko has been held in detention by Russian authorities since her abduction on June 17, 2014; she faces up to 23 years in prison if found guilty of false charges by a Russian court. In what has been described as a political show trial, Russian authorities denied Savchenko a closing statement in her last day in court, prompting her to begin a (dry) hunger strike, the first of which lasted over 80 days.
The stunning abduction, continued imprisonment and unlawful prosecution of Nadiya Savchenko by Russia is a clear violation of her human rights and defies all international standards according to clause 5 of the September 5, 2014, Minsk Protocol, which calls for the immediate release of all unlawfully detained persons. Additionally, her treatment as a prisoner of war is in direct violation of the Geneva Convention. Russia, as a signatory of both of these international agreements, has again shown its flagrant disregard and contempt for international law and must be held accountable for these violations.
The UCCA calls upon President Obama and the United States government to utilize all diplomatic efforts to ensure the safety of MP Savchenko and secure her immediate release. We urge the international community to intensify its public condemnation of Russia’s illegal imprisonment of Lt. Nadiya Savchenko, and demand that she and other illegally imprisoned Ukrainians be freed.
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) issued the following statement on the eve of Freedom for Nadiya Savchenko Global Day of Support, which is being marked on March 9.
On March 9, Russia’s illegal trial of Ukrainian Member of Parliament and delegate to the Parliamentary Assembly of Europe (PACE) Lt. Nadiya Savchenko is due to resume. On March 4, Savchenko declared a dry hunger strike (refusing both food and water) in protest of her illegal imprisonment in Russia and the court’s abrupt decision on March 3 to adjourn proceedings and refuse her the right to make a final statement.
Savchenko was serving in Ukraine’s armed forces in eastern Ukraine when taken hostage in June 2014 by Kremlin-backed terrorists and forcibly taken to Russia, where she remains illegally imprisoned. The illegal trial on fabricated charges of Nadiya Savchenko shows the Russian regime’s utter, cynical contempt for international law, due process and human rights.
Nadiya Savchenko has responded to her illegal imprisonment and prosecution with bravery, dignity and heroism. Her resistance to injustice is the embodiment of the determination of the people of Ukraine to defend their country against Russia’s brutal invasion.
The UCC calls on Canada and the international community to exert pressure on the Russian Federation to ensure the immediate, safe return to Ukraine of Nadiya Savchenko, and all other citizens of Ukraine illegally imprisoned by the Russian Federation.