Dmytro Lubinets, the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada for Human Rights, has appealed to the Russian Ombudswoman, Tatyana Moskalkova, demanding the cessation of obstacles to the right of illegally detained Ukrainians in temporarily occupied Crimea and on the territory of the Russian Federation to freely practice their religion and conduct religious ceremonies according to their beliefs.
The press service of the Ombudsman's Office reported this, according to Ukrinform.
"Lubinets has appealed to the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, Tatyana Moskalkova, demanding the cessation of obstacles to the right of illegally detained citizens of Ukraine in temporarily occupied Crimea and on the territory of the Russian Federation to freely practice their religion and conduct religious ceremonies according to their beliefs, including during the holy month of Ramadan," the statement said.
According to the Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Ukrainians illegally detained in places of deprivation of liberty in Crimea and in Russia end up in disciplinary isolation units, psychiatric hospitals, or special units for attempting to perform obligatory prayers.
"They face the same disciplinary sanctions because they are forced to eat only twice a day during fasting: before dawn and after sunset, which does not comply with the regime of the penitentiary institution. The cynicism of the actions of the colony administrations lies in the fact that prayer and fasting during the holy month of Ramadan are mandatory for Muslims," the statement said.
According to the institution, complaints have also been received that the diet of convicts contains products with added pork, which is prohibited for consumption due to religious beliefs, effectively leading to starvation.
"Limitation or obstruction of a person's exercise of the right to perform and observe religious practices and rituals violates Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees this right, and Article 14 of this Convention, which prohibits discrimination, including on the grounds of religion or beliefs," the ombudsman stated.
As previously reported, on January 23, human rights activist Olga Skrypnyk informed that since 2014, 193 Ukrainian citizens have been in detention as part of politically motivated criminal persecution in Crimea. Political prisoners are in pre-trial detention centers on the peninsula or in colonies on the territory of the Russian Federation.