Ombudsman of the Donetsk People’s Republic Daria Morozova stated that the DPR expects Kiev to provide guarantees of granting pardon to prisoners subject to exchange.
Earlier Morozova stated in her comment following Minsk talks that Kiev refused to provide guarantees of granting pardon and terminate criminal prosecution against people subject to the exchange.
“Our main requirement is that people should be procedurally cleared,” Daria Morozova told RIA Novosti.
She added that the representatives of Kiev have worked on the respective mechanism for two years. “A few meetings back, they presented this mechanism. They suggested changing the measure of restraint to the people who are to be exchanged under a personal commitment. According to this measure, one has the right to leave Ukraine. But they also have an obligation before the court,” Morozova explained.
At the same time, according to her, if a person cannot attend a court hearing, this will be considered a violation and he/she will be declared wanted.
“This option does not suit us at all. We proposed our own mechanism, adding one more item to it, which would help ensure procedural clearance. We demand that the Ukrainian side provides guarantees that the clearance mechanism will be finalized and that people, even if they are convicted, will be pardoned,” Morozova emphasized.
The latest exchange of prisoners between Kiev and the Donbass took place at the end of December 2017. The parties to the conflict stated that the process of release of detainees will continue.
In April 2014, the Ukrainian authorities launched a military operation against the LPR and the DPR, which declared independence after the coup d’état in Ukraine in February 2014. According to the latest UN data, about 13 thousand people became victims of the conflict. The issue of resolving the situation in Donbass is being discussed, including during the meetings of the Contact Group in Minsk, which, since September 2014, has already adopted three documents regulating steps to de-escalate the conflict. However, even after armistice agreements between the parties to the conflict, exchange of fire continues.
