Parliament calls on world to intensify efforts to return all captured Ukrainians.

The Verkhovna Rada has adopted an appeal to international institutions, parliaments and governments of foreign countries, and international non-governmental organizations to intensify efforts to release and return all captured and illegally detained citizens of Ukraine, especially Ukrainian journalists.

This was reported by Yaroslav Zheleznyak, a member of the Ukrainian parliamentary faction Voice, in his Telegram message, Ukrinform reports. He clarified that the legislative initiative #11034 was supported by 293 votes of MPs.

The Verkhovna Rada, in particular, appeals to the United Nations, parliaments and governments of the member states of the European Union and NATO, the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Federation of Journalists, and the European Federation of Journalists, the International NGO Committee to Protect Journalists, and the International NGO Reporters Without Borders to increase political and diplomatic pressure on the Russian Federation to protect the rights of journalists, ensure their safety, and return captured and illegally detained journalists [including citizen journalists].

At the same time, the Council calls for intensifying international and national efforts to ensure the release and return to Ukraine of all Ukrainian prisoners of war and all illegally detained persons who are citizens of Ukraine.

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It also emphasizes the need to step up efforts to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law in relation to Ukrainian prisoners of war held by the Russian Federation and to prevent torture, humiliation, and violations of human rights, as well as to establish the whereabouts of all captives - citizens of Ukraine, including captured and illegally detained Ukrainian journalists.

In addition, the Ukrainian parliament calls for strengthening efforts, including through the International Criminal Court, to ensure that all those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity on the territory of Ukraine, including journalists [including citizen journalists], are brought to justice.

As reported by Ukrinform, the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation supported the resolution on captured journalists held hostage by Russia, which will allow to get support from partners to publicize the issue.

Currently, there are at least 26 Ukrainian media professionals who have been illegally imprisoned by Russia.