The Supreme Court in Russia is set to decide the fate of prisoners of war at the Azov Steelworks in Mariupol. The death penalty is also apparently up for debate.
Moscow – As of May 16, more than 1,700 Ukrainian soldiers have been held in Russian captivity. The fighters from the Ukraine had entrenched themselves in the Azov steelworks in Mariupol until the very end and sat out the Russian siege. The images of their capitulation went around the world.
On Thursday (May 26) the Supreme Court of Moscow decide how to proceed with the soldiers.
Ukraine War: Azov Steel Works Soldiers Face Death Penalty?
In Russia the triumphant shots of the defeated Ukrainian soldiers are shown again and again. In a long line, hands raised and eyes downcast, the prisoners trotted out of their lair. Vladimir Putin’s Spokesman Dimitri Peskov promised on Tuesday (May 24) that the prisoners of war would be treated according to “international standards”.
Originally, even an exchange procedure should be considered, in which the soldiers can return home. “The Ukraine needs living Ukrainian heroes,” said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed hope after the end of the Azov siege. However, Russia does not rush to negotiate an exchange.
The Chairman of the Russian duma recently described the soldiers as right-wing extremist “Nazi criminals” who should never be exchanged. Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the International Affairs Committee, accused the Azov prisoners of crimes against humanity and eventually called for the death penalty to be reinstated. “The whole world should be shown that Ukrainian nationalists only deserve the death penalty,” Slutsky is quoted as saying. According to information from the international broadcaster German wave will be discussed behind closed doors.
Azov prisoners of war: death penalty contrary to Geneva Conventions
According to experts, reintroducing the death penalty would be a clear violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions. The former Nato-General Egon Ramms threw in a broadcast of the ZDF The Russian Federation proposes to commit new war crimes: “The soldiers evacuated from Mariupol, including the wounded, are being taken prisoner of war. That is based on the Geneva Agreement of 1949. When I hear that there are members of the Duma who suddenly say out loud that they are threatened with the death penalty, then obviously Russian representatives have once again misinterpreted the legal basis or they are starting again to commit a war crime”.
Only recently have serious allegations been leveled against Russia, according to which Russian soldiers near Kyiv tortured and executed civilians. A war crime of the same kind was recently prosecuted by a Russian soldier. The 21-year-old Russian has now been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Ukraine war: Azov fighters classified as far-right since 2014
According to the propaganda in Ukraine War the soldiers from the Azov steelworks are portrayed in the Russian media as a right-wing extremist terrorist organization that needs to be denazified. Even if the soldiers cannot be proven to have committed war crimes, Moscow still has other options for convicting the prisoners of war.
In Russia, it is already enough if crimes committed abroad are directed against Russia’s interests, the cites daily News human rights lawyer Ivan Pavlov. It shouldn’t be a problem for Russia to find such a crime, because the Azov Battalion has been classified as “right-wing extremist” there since 2014. But the paramilitary regiment is not only criticized by the Russian Federation. Even in Ukraine itself, the soldiers are considered extremely nationalistic. The group was formed to fight pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine and has faced allegations of human rights abuses in the past. Despite the serious allegations, the Azov regiment became public supported by the Ukrainian Ambassador Andriy Melnyk.
More than 1,700 Azov fighters are currently in Russian captivity. The conditions are “better than expected” and the food is “enough to fill you up”. A prisoner is said to have said that in a phone call to his family, the Tagesschau reports. How to proceed with the prisoners of war will be decided on May 26 in Moscow. (aa)
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