On December 10, Ihor Kotelianets, Head of the Association of Relatives of Political Prisoners of the Kremlin, took part in a panel discussion at the conference marking International Human Rights Day, “The Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the Struggle for One’s Rights.”

In his speech, Ihor emphasized the importance of shaping policies that correspond to wartime realities and are aimed at supporting people who are illegally detained in Russian captivity. Current legislation recognizes as civilians unlawfully deprived of their personal liberty those who expressed a pro-Ukrainian position and are able to prove it. At the same time, the realities of the occupied territories are much broader: a person may be unlawfully imprisoned for refusing to obtain a Russian passport, for having relatives in Ukraine, as a result of a denunciation, or due to any other suspicions on the part of the occupying authorities.

The event took place at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv with the support of the university’s Rector Volodymyr Buhrov, Director of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Public Administration and Civil Service Larysa Komakha, and ZMINA Human Rights Center.