#People1st
International campaign for the release of captives held as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
2025 is likely to see some form of negotiation between Russia, Ukraine and the wider international community. Our movement has come together around a simple call: put people first. A key priority of any negotiated agreement must be the release of all captives and illegally deported children of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Among them:
- Thousands of Ukrainian civilians held by the Russian state
- Thousands of Ukrainian and Russian prisoners of war held by both sides
- At least 20,000 of Ukrainian children forcibly transferred or deported to Russia
- Hundreds of Russian political prisoners held behind bars for protests against the war
We demand:
- In accordance with international law, all Ukrainian civilians captured and illegally detained by Russian forces, including those sentenced by Russian courts, be released and allowed to return home immediately and unconditionally. Those whose homes are in Russian-controlled areas, should be given the opportunity to leave for Ukrainian government-controlled areas of the country should they wish to do so.
- All illegally transferred or deported children be returned.
- It is also essential to ensure timely repatriation of deported Ukrainian convicts and patients of closed medical institutions, such as nursing homes and psychiatric facilities.
- All efforts are made to repatriate POWs, through exchanges or otherwise, as soon as possible, and no later than at the end of active hostilities as required by the Geneva Conventions.
- Russian political prisoners already sentenced to prison terms or awaiting sentences in connection to their antiwar statements and actions be released and should face no limits on their freedom of movement, including to travel abroad if they wish to do so.
- A special independent international mechanism is established to facilitate these processes, monitor their compliance with international humanitarian law, and ensure regular, transparent reporting on progress, including updates on the release of prisoners and adherence to humanitarian standards.
- Russia must provide immediate full access to all the captives and all illegally transferred or deported children for the UN agencies and ICRC.
“In the years of the war, I have spoken to many survivors of the Russian captivity who told me how they and other captives were beaten, tortured with electric shocks, and raped. They told about having their nails torn out, their kneecaps shuttered. They described how they had been deprived of food and sleep and how the dying had no access to medical assistance. Freeing all the unlawfully detained and exchanging all the prisoners of war should be an absolute priority. The captives may not last long enough to see the end of the war.“
Oleksandra Matviichuk, Ukrainian human rights lawyer in the lead of the Center for Civil Liberties, the 2022 Nobel Prize for Peace laureate
“The terrible scourge of war has already affected tens of millions of people. Lives taken by war, cannot be recovered. It is all the more important to rectify what can be rectified. First and foremost, this means returning freedom to those who are in captivity because of the war. People, their freedom should be the priority of any negotiations”
Oleg Orlov, Co-Chair of the Memorial Human Rights Defense Center, former political prisoner and the 2022 Nobel Prize for Peace laureate
About the campaign
Why now?
During his election campaign, U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly pledged that he would end the war which was launched by Russia in one day. Although this statement is clearly a figure of speech, some form of intergovernmental negotiation is expected to take place soon. While the political solution to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine will be complex, multilayered and may take years to negotiate, the urgent humanitarian problems faced by wartime detainees are extremely acute. Parties to the conflict have obligations under international law to ensure the release of POWs and civilians unlawfully detained by either party, and any negotiations should make the execution of those obligations a priority. We are launching this campaign to urge all actors to make the fate of wartime detainees the first issue they tackle in the upcoming negotiations.
The release of Ukrainian civilians and POWs, captured by Russian or Russian-controlled forces is one of the most burning issues today. The upcoming negotiations may well be a key opportunity in the near future to secure the timely release of all Ukrainian civilians illegally held by Russia.
Why People First?
The campaign is calling for prioritizing the unconditional release of all detained civilians, both adults and children. These include civilians detained and held by Russia in occupied areas of Ukraine and those detained in occupied areas and forcibly transferred to Russia, where they are held in detention facilities. The campaign also calls for the earliest possible release and repatriation of all prisoners of war (POWs) as a priority for any negotiated agreement.
According to Ukraine’s Ombudsperson, 16,000 Ukrainian civilians are missing and held unlawfully in Russia. As of September 1, 2024, Ukrainian human rights defenders documented the disappearances of 7,615 people. Civilians unlawfully detained during international armed conflict, including under military occupation, should be released immediately and unconditionally, and allowed to return to their homes, or for those whose home is in Russian controlled areas, they should be allowed to leave for Ukrainian-government controlled areas of the country.
Thousands are held by both sides to the conflict. According to the findings by UN bodies and human rights organizations, Ukrainian POWs and civilians held in Russia in connection with the war have been subjected to torture and other forms of degrading and inhumane treatment, including the degradation of their national identity and the violation of their personal dignity. While the Geneva Conventions require the prompt release and repatriation of POWs at the end of active hostilities the negotiations offer the opportunity to underscore that this happens as soon as possible, particularly bearing in mind the condition of many POWs given their ill-treatment.
The upcoming negotiations may also present a unique opportunity to facilitate the return of thousands of children who have been forcibly transferred from Ukraine to the Russian Federation. Since 24 February 2022 at least 20,000 Ukrainian children have been deported or forcibly transferred.
In addition, since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian authorities have imprisoned hundreds of Russians and citizens of other countries for anti-war statements and actions expressing support for or aimed at helping Ukraine. Most of them have already been sentenced to long prison terms, some are still awaiting a court verdict, behind bars and without any hope for a fair hearing.
Who does our campaign address?
We urge the new US administration along with all international bodies and governments involved in or having influence on negotiations urgently to address these acute humanitarian issues.
An initiative of
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Endorsed by
Center for Civil Liberties
International Memorial Association
Human Rights Watch
International Federation for Human Rights
Memorial Human Rights Defense Center
Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group
Moscow Helsinki group
Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union
PAX
Stichting Justice Initiative
European Prison Litigation Network
Norwegian Helsinki Committee
Another Europe Is Possible
OVD-Info
Platform of Civic, Anti-War and Humanitarian Initiatives
Truth Hounds, Ukraine
Voices of Children Charitable Foundation, Ukraine
Protection For Prisoners of Ukraine
Association of Relatives of Political Prisoners of the Kremlin
Assemblée Européenne des Citoyens, France
Ukraine Comb’art
European network of solidarity with Ukraine
Syrian British Consortium
Clear, Centre of Law enforcement activities research
“Russia Behind Bars” Charity Foundation for Aid to Convicts and Their Families
Freedom for Eurasia
Expert Group “Sova”
“Peace. Progress. Human rights” Movement
Organization of relatives of missing persons “Liberta”
Public Verdict
Campaign launched on Jan 28, 2025