MOSCOW. April 24 (Interfax) - The Russian Presidential Council for Human Rights has appealed to the Council of Europe's (CoE) Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovic, over the arrest in Ukraine of a Volunteers of Victory activist.
"On behalf of the council, I am compelled to ask you urgently to intervene in the situation involving the gross violation of the human rights of a Russian citizen, Yelena Odnovol," the council's chief, Mikhail Fedotov, said in a letter published on the council's website.
As a social volunteer, Odnovol's activity has always been "public, aimed at promoting charity, peacekeeping, controversy resolution, inter-community reconciliation, and the preservation of historical memory," Fedotov said.
"In contravention of international law and widely accepted principles, Yelena's relatives and colleagues are still unable to contact her. They are seriously concerned about her fate and have appealed to human rights organizations for help," he said.
He asked Mijatovic to demand that the Ukrainian authorities release Odnovol immediately "and scrupulously respect her civil rights," Fedotov said.