Russia’s illegal prisoners of war
At his news conference in Moscow last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to recognize that my client, pilot Nadiya Savchenko, and 30 other Ukrainian service members being held in Russian jails are prisoners of war. This challenge to yet another universal norm demands a strong response from other nations.
Savchenko was captured on June 18 by pro-Russian separatists near Luhansk while on a mission to rescue wounded Ukrainian soldiers. She was dressed in a Ukrainian military uniform and carried a firearm, clearly making her subject to Article 4 of the Third Geneva Convention, which delineates criteria for POW status.
On June 19, a video of her interrogation appeared on the Internet; she was not mistreated but was handcuffed to a metal pipe and questioned on military subjects such as the deployment of Ukrainian forces.… Seguir leyendo »