Ukrainian parliament asking PACE to help free Savchenko

12:19, 18.04.2016 1 min read

Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada is asking the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to assist in the prompt release of Nadia Savchenko, who was sentenced to 22 years in jail in Russia, Ukrainian Parliament Speaker Andriy Parubiy said.

"We are asking the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to do everything possible to ensure that Nadia Savchenko is back home with us as soon as possible. And I am sure that we will take maximum effort to ensure that this decision is made as soon as possible," Parubiy said at a meeting of the conciliatory council of the heads of factions, committees and groups on Monday.

He said debates on Savchenko will be conducted at the PACE session that opens in Strasbourg on Monday.

Parubiy said that Savchenko, who has gone on a dry hunger strike, is in serious condition. "We understand that all responsibility for that rests with President Putin. We understand that the negotiations [on the release of Savchenko] are going very difficultly," the parliament speaker said.