Foreign Ministry demands Russia stop torturing convicted Ukrainian citizen Shur
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine demands from the Russian side to ensure the access of the Ukrainian consul to Viktor Shur, a Ukrainian citizen illegally sentenced to prison in Russia.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses its strong protest against the inhuman treatment of the Russian authorities in relation to illegally convicted in Russia citizen of Ukraine Viktor Shur and Russia's refusal to provide access for Ukrainian consul to him [...] once again calls on the Russian side to stop illegal actions against citizens of Ukraine, who are illegally kept on politically motivated charges in Russia, as well as to ensure their right to meet with the consul," a commentary of Foreign Ministry released in connection with Russia's refusal to allow the consul to Shur, reads.
The Foreign Ministry said that demanding that Shur put down in writing his legal right to meet with the consul of the Ukrainian state, "Russian jailers resorted to violence and torture against him: Viktor Shur was placed in solitary confinement cell of the punitive ward, where he was detained in cold deprived of water and food, which led to the deterioration of his health."
According to media reports, Shur was detained in the Bryansk region (Russian Federation) on December 9, 2014 for insulting the law enforcement officer for 15 days. Later he was charged with espionage. On October 7, 2015, he was sentenced to 12 years in a strict-regime colony for espionage in favor of Ukraine.