Russia: Prolongation of sailors' custody was expected – Kiev's Human Rights Commissioner

M/S Ukrainian sailors brought to courtroom, Moscow
C/U Sailors in courtroom
M/S Sailors in courtroom
C/U Sailor in courtroom
M/S Sailors in courtroom
C/U Sailors in courtroom
SOT, Lyudmila Denisova, Verkhovna Rada’s Commissioner for Human Rights (Russian): "First of all, no we didn't discuss any exchange [of Ukrainian sailors and RIA Novosti Ukraine Editor-in-Chief Kirill Vyshinsky]. Firstly, we with the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Russian Federation have slightly different mandates. That is why we discussed issues of our citizens' lists - those Ukrainian citizens who are located on the Crimea peninsula and in the Russian Federation and also Russian citizens [who are located] on the Ukrainian territory - concerning ensuring humanitarian rights and providing necessary medical aid. So, we discussed it, we handed the lists over to each other. The citizens will be verified. I looked through all cases which were handed to me by Tatyana Nikolayevna [Moskalkova]. When the sides – Russia and Ukraine – agree upon any exchange or release of citizens then we will, without any doubt, follow this process and I, as Verkhovna Rada's Commissioner for Human Rights will follow this process in our country."
Reporter (Russian): "What can you say about today's court hearing?"
Lyudmila Denisova, Verkhovna Rada's Commissioner for Human Rights (Russian): "The result of the court hearing was expected to be like that, because it was about the appeal of an investigator on prolonging of our sailors' custody. So, it happened like this. But it does not mean that there are [no] another formats of releasing the sailors from custody. It is the right of the investigator and if some agreements are achieved or a political will will be expressed I think our sailors will be released and they will come back home. There are different options which are also set in the Russian Federation legislation, the Criminal Procedure Code, where there is a possibility of a trustful person's surety bond or the defendant themselves. That is why I offer my bond as Commissioner for Human Rights in Ukraine in order for them to consider this bond about ensuring the participation of our sailors in a pre-trail and trial's investigation if it happens."
Reporter (Russian): "Could you say how they are feeling? You communicated with them more than us. We saw that they are in high spirits."
Lyudmila Denisova, Verkhovna Rada’s Commissioner for Human Rights (Russian): "They are in a mood to fight, they are very positive, they are waiting to return back to their motherland."
M/S End of press-conference
SCRIPT
Verkhovna Rada's Commissioner for Human Rights Lyudmila Denisova was not surprised that the custody of all 24 Ukrainian sailors, who were involved in Kerch Strait incident, was prolonged for three more months by Lefortovo District court in Moscow on Wednesday..
She added that despite the custody, there can be different ways of resolving the issue.
"If some agreements are achieved or a political will will be expressed I think our sailors will be released and they will come back home. There are different options which are also set in the Russian Federation legislation, the Criminal Procedure Code," she stressed.
In November, a Russian court ordered the detention of 12 of the 24 sailors until January 25, 2019 following the incident in the Kerch Strait in late November.
The sailors were charged under Part 3 of Art. 322 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation entitled "Illegal crossing of a border, committed by a group of persons by prior agreement or by an organised group, either with the use of violence or with the threat of its use." The article carries a maximum sentence of up to six years in prison.