OLENA ROSCHINA — FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2022, 3:31 PM
The Ukrainian authorities are calling on world leaders and international organizations to prevent the illegal trial of Ukrainian defense lawyers in Mariupol and to visit the prisoners in Olenivka while the occupying forces prepare the Mariupol Philharmonic for their sham trial.
source: Joint Statement by Security and Defense Forces on Mariupol’s Captured Defenders
Quote: “We call on the entire civilized world not to allow the trial of Ukrainian defenders announced by the Mariupol executioners.
We demand that representatives of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross be immediately dispatched to the places where Ukrainian prisoners of war are being held, primarily Olenivka.”
Details: Ukraine’s Security and Defense Forces say the surrender was the only way to save the defenders who were held at the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works in May.
“The operation to save the 2,500 defenders of Mariupol was the only possible option to save the lives of our heroes. There was no alternative to extraction. There was a choice: rescue surgery or death in Azovstal, especially of the seriously injured, because stocks of necessary medicines were running out,” the statement said.
The seriously injured were the first to be rescued in the June exchange: 144 people, including 95 Mariupol defenders, have already been brought back. Most of them were seriously injured. So far they have received the necessary medical care and rehabilitation.
“All state institutions are committed to the return of the heroes of Mariupol and all Ukrainians held captive by the enemy. Search for people missing under special circumstances,” say the security and defense forces.
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Meanwhile, “the Russian Federation is not fulfilling its obligations, ignoring agreements and not recognizing international norms and rules of warfare.”
Therefore, the issue of prisoner exchanges is complex and sensitive.
According to Petro Andryushchenko, adviser to the Mariupol mayor, the occupiers are preparing the trial of the city’s defenders on August 24 and hastily converting the Chamber Philharmonic into a prison.
“In addition to the cages, a special bunker/garage will be set up to house the trucks that will transport our captured heroes. This building did not exist before the war, it is being built for one purpose only – the “Tribunal”. The building will be connected to cages and cells by a special corridor,” writes Andryushchenko, adding photos and videos.
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