16:44 02.03.2020

Interpol to review Russia's request to put on wanted list, arrest Aidar battalion first commander Melnychuk in Greece

3 min read
Interpol to review Russia's request to put on wanted list, arrest Aidar battalion first commander Melnychuk in Greece

The General Secretariat of Interpol International Criminal Police Organization has taken a decision to review Russia's request to put on wanted list and detain in Greece ex-commander of Aidar battalion and Verkhovna Rada MP of the eighth convocation Serhiy Melnychuk, reads a statement from Interior Minister of Ukraine Arsen Avakov.

"Meanwhile, after the appeal of the Interpol National Security Bureau in Ukraine, the General Secretariat of the International Criminal Police Organization decided to revise the Russia's request for putting on a wanted list and detention of Serhiy Melnychuk to verify its legal validity and compliance with Article 3 of the of the organization's charter," reads the statement.

The minister stressed that Russian Federation constantly abuses with the Interpol tools for the illegal prosecution of the Ukrainian citizens, who repelled armed hybrid aggression of Russia in Crimea and Donbas, in other states of the world.

"Another such provocation was committed by law enforcement bodies of the Russian Federation against a citizen of Ukraine Melnychuk, a former Ukrainian deputy who was detained while crossing the Greek-Bulgarian border on trumped-up charges of allegedly involvement in the April 2014 murder in Rostov region of the Russian Federation," reads a statement from Avakov.

In this regard, the Internal Affairs Ministry of Ukraine and the National Central Bureau of Interpol of the National Police of Ukraine declare inadmissibility of abuse of Interpol's tools in accordance with Article 3 of the Charter of this organization, which prohibits politically motivated prosecution of persons.

"The diplomatic channels are actively working so that the citizen of Ukraine Melnychuk can come back home...I, as internal affairs minister, turned to the Interpol Secretary General Mr. Jürgen Stock, regarding the need to develop an effective mechanism to block the abuse of the Russian Federation by its rights as a member state of the organization," Avakov said.

Moreover, the department reminded that law enforcement agencies of the Russian Federation have repeatedly abused the tools and capabilities of Interpol in relation to citizens of Ukraine. At the same time, in recent years, thanks to the timely intervention of the National Police in Ukraine, it was possible to prevent the unlawful restriction of the rights of about 30 Ukrainians whom the law enforcement bodies of the Russian Federation tried to detain on the territory of other Interpol member states.

"We hope that this next provocation of the Russian Federation against the citizen of Ukraine Melnychuk will not achieve his goal, and he will be able to return home," said in the statement.

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