URGENT statement about the unlawful detention and deprivation of liberty of Yurii Sheliazhenko by the Ukrainian police and military authorities.
The detention and deprivation of liberty of human rights defender Yurii Sheliazhenko on March 19th, by the Ukrainian authorities in Kyiv, is unlawful.
The local authorities are refusing to provide any information regarding his whereabouts or conditions and no one, including his lawyer, is able to locate Yurii and directly contact him.
There are indications that:
– no detention protocol was drawn up;
– no clear legal grounds for the deprivation of liberty were provided;
– access to legal counsel was obstructed;
– contact with the Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigation was obstructed;
– he was transferred, or intended to be transferred, to a Territorial Centre of Recruitment and Social Support (TCC) without due legal procedure.
StW supporters will be aware that Yurii has spoken as an anti-war activist many times at StW events.
We ask all our supporters to sign the petition and to share on social media the above graphic and this statement calling on the Ukraine government to drop any legal proceedings against Yurii Sheliazhenko. We call on the Ukraine government to respect human rights, the right to conscientious objection and the right to freedom of speech.
Other actions: write to the Ukrainian Embassy (https://mfa.gov.ua/en/
