Informal Refusals and Bureaucratic Hurdles: UnMode Strives for the Return of Ukrainian Citizens Home

Informal Refusals and Bureaucratic Hurdles: UnMode Strives for the Return of Ukrainian Citizens Home

We continue to monitor the situation that occurred in January 2023 on the Latvia-Ukraine border involving a group of 14 Ukrainian citizens. It was at the Grebnevo border checkpoint where the entire group of former Ukrainian prisoners was denied entry.

Later, Latvian media published a "report," claiming that the reason for the refusal was due to the Ukrainians' past criminal activities.

"They have served the punishment assigned by Ukrainian courts, and they are not criminals," emphasized Aydana Fedosik, Executive Director of UnMode. She also highlighted that according to the Fourth Geneva Convention, these individuals are civilians and are protected from war crimes committed against them by russia.

UnMode addressed an open appeal to the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine seeking assistance in this complex situation. However, the organization received only a formal response, recommending them to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Prosecutor's Office of the Kherson Oblast.

Such responses from officials have caused disappointment and bewilderment among human rights activists, who are actively working to resolve this issue and ensure the safe return of Ukrainian citizens home.

At present, some of the prisoners who were forcibly transported from the temporarily occupied Kherson Oblast have completed their sentences in Russian correctional facilities. They are being moved to CTDFC (Centers for Temporary Detention of Foreign Citizens). Their stay in these centers is unlawful and deprives them of procedural status and certain basic rights, including access to medical assistance.

Since January 2023, UnMode has been actively providing support and assistance to Ukrainian prisoners forcibly relocated to russia. The organization offers legal aid to secure their release and organize their safe return to Ukraine. The refusal by Latvian officials to facilitate the return of these individuals not only delays the process indefinitely but also violates established norms of morality and international law.

UnMode calls on international human rights organizations, independent Ukrainian media, and the authorities of countries through which the forcibly relocated prisoners from Ukraine can return, to actively engage in the situation and ensure the unimpeded return of those Ukrainians who wish to come back to the territory of Ukraine.