1. For more than four years, Vadym Golda, Maksym Petrov and Dmytro Shabanov have been arbitrarily detained by Russia on fabricated charges for carrying out their official duties under the mandate of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, a mandate agreed by all participating States, including Russia.
2. The European Union has repeatedly and unequivocally called on Russia to ensure their immediate and unconditional release. We welcome the OSCE Secretary General’s and Swiss Chairpersonship’s engagement and encourage the intensification of all possible efforts to secure the safe return of the three OSCE officials to their families. The protection of OSCE personnel, including their functional immunity, is essential to the Organisation’s credibility and operational integrity.
3. We are alarmed by reports that Vadym Golda has been transferred to a medical correctional facility in Russia’s Tambov region. If confirmed, he would become the third OSCE staff member illegally detained by Russia in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine to have been transferred to Russia. This would amount to yet another flagrant violation by Russia of its obligations under international law, including the Geneva Conventions. We are further deeply concerned by reports that he has been held incommunicado since 15 October.
4. We demand that Russia immediately provide credible and verifiable information on the whereabouts and conditions of detention of all three OSCE officials, and grant immediate, unrestricted and regular access to them, including to relevant international humanitarian actors. Russia must also ensure access to legal counsel of their choosing and to adequate medical care without delay.
5. We once again call on Russia to release immediately and unconditionally all unlawfully detained civilians, including the three OSCE staff members.