Work on returning civilians from captivity continues

Government agencies are working to find mechanisms to return Ukrainian civilians from Russian captivity.

According to Ukrinform, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets reported this in Telegram.

The Ombudsman's Office held a meeting with relatives of Ukrainian civilians held by Russia.

During the meeting with the families of civilian hostages, representatives of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the National Information Bureau, the National Police of Ukraine, and the International Committee of the Red Cross answered the questions. In particular, they discussed the principle of returning Ukrainian citizens and the participation of international organizations in these processes.

According to Mr. Lubinets, the issue of returning civilian hostages from Russian captivity is currently the most problematic, as the Geneva Conventions prohibit the taking of civilians as prisoners of war.

"The Russian Federation violates all the norms of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions and refuses to return Ukrainian citizens, but the state authorities are working to find such mechanisms, which was informed to the relatives and friends of civilian hostages," the Ombudsman emphasized.

He noted that "everyone has their own pain, their own story, but we have not given up. We are working to bring our people back and we are succeeding. Both military and civilians are returning. We have moved the problem of returning children. Maybe not as fast as we would like, but we are fighting for everyone. We are fighting the enemy, who violates all possible norms and cynically changes the conditions of return. The work is ongoing and we believe in the result - to return everyone!"

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 08/04/2023