PRESS RELEASE : UK calls for Russia to release immediately OSCE officials detained in Ukraine: UK statement to the OSCE [July 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 18 July 2024.

Following the sentencing of Vadym Golda, a member of the OSCE’s Special Monitoring Mission, Ambassador Holland condemns Russia’s detention and treatment of OSCE officials in Ukraine.

Thank you, Mister Chair.  We join the Chair-in-Office and the Secretary General in unequivocally condemning the sentencing last week of Vadym Golda to 14 years in prison.

The detention and treatment of Vadym and his colleagues from the Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine are a violation of well-established international principles, including the Helsinki Final Act.  These are there to keep our fellow citizens safe when they are fulfilling their responsibilities under an international mandate. What is more, these are our colleagues.  Russia’s actions set a terrible precedent which should be of grave concern to us all.

Madam Chair, I repeat my government’s sincere gratitude to the brave women and men of the SMM in Ukraine. They performed their OSCE-mandated roles with integrity and professionalism.

The unlawful detention of our colleagues is truly shocking. The suffering that they and their loved ones are enduring remains a constant concern to us.

We call on Russia to end the unlawful detention of Vadym, Maxim and Dmytro and that of all Ukrainian citizens it has illegally detained. Thank you.