Russian Ombudswoman Arrives in Kiev to Support Vyshinsky at Court Hearing - Secretariat

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2019) Russian High Commissioner for Human Rights Tatiana Moskalkova has arrived in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev in order to support RIA Novosti Ukraine portal head Kirill Vyshinsky, who has been held in Ukrainian custody for over a year, during the upcoming court hearing, the head of Moskalkova's secretariat, Ilya Chechelnitskiy, told Sputnik on Monday.

The hearing will take place later in the day at Podolsky district court in Kiev.

"Tatiana Moskalkova has arrived in Kiev to support Kirill Vyshinsky at today's court hearing. At noon [local time, 09:00 GMT] she plans to meet with her Ukrainian counterpart [Ukrainian human rights commissioner Lyudmyla Denisova]. They will discuss protecting rights of Russian citizens in Ukraine and Ukrainian citizens in Russia and also continuing the dialogue between human rights commissioners," Chechelnitskiy said.

Vyshinsky was detained in Kiev on May 15, 2018 on suspicion of supporting the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics in the east of Ukraine and treason, and has been held in custody since then. Along with repeatedly prolonging the journalist's arrest, the court has also refused to move him from a detention facility to house arrest.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Vyshinsky's arrest is politically motivated and demonstrates the former Ukrainian authorities' unacceptable policy of targeting journalists.

Harlem Desir, the representative on freedom of the media at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), has also expressed concern over Ukraine's actions toward Vyshinsky and called for the journalist's release, stressing that all OSCE members have pledged to create the necessary conditions to allow journalists to work freely.