Discussing strategy for the release of political prisoners: Eskender Bariiev outlines prerequisites for the release of the Kremlin’s captives

• What conditions should states observe in the exchange process to ensure that the exchange does not violate human rights?
  
• Is Ukraine’s legal framework sufficient for exchanges, or are changes needed?
  
• Can the preparation of exchanges be public?
  
• What should be the strategies for the release of Ukrainians illegally convicted in Russia as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian war?
  

The Chairman of the Board spoke about the activities of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center in documenting human rights violations in the occupied Crimea and in the newly occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. In particular, he noted such a negative trend as failure to report the crime of the occupants.

‘Relatives of abducted or detained people in the occupied territories are trying to hide and not provide not just even documents, but not inform human rights defenders about rf actions at all,’ – Bariiev said.

This tendency appeared because, the expert said, Russian security forces promised to release a person if he or his relatives keep silent. In addition, many relatives think that information about violations of the rights of political prisoners will in no way speed up the release of these people.

Eskender Bariiev noted several prerequisites for the release of political prisoners:

• The first is the relevant decision of international organizations. For example, in 2019, the release of our citizens was precisely due to the decision of the International Maritime Tribunal.
  
• The second is the publicity of the political prisoner. As practice shows, the most famous and toxic political prisoners are released first of all. The more political prisoners are talked about, the higher their chances of freedom.
  
• The third is the benefit for the Kremlin. This is when Moscow is interested in releasing Russians who are under arrest in Ukraine, in the United States or elsewhere. Such an exchange could also be for the sake of easing sanctions or to obtain permits to sell natural resources.