Prison access 'not ideal' on both sides of conflict – ICRC

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said that it is dissatisfied with the level of access to places of detention by both the Russian Federation and Ukraine and continues to make requests at all levels to obtain full access to all detainees – both prisoners of war and civilians.

At a briefing for Ukrainian journalists in Geneva, the ICRC’s regional director for Europe and Central Asia, Ariane Bauer, said that it is important for the ICRC to understand the whole picture in places of detention.

According to her, this means the ability to interact with the authorities responsible for the place of detention to be able to visit places of detention independently, as well as the ability to communicate directly with people who are being held in custody to understand the conditions of their detention, the treatment they face, and to ensure contact with their families.

Bauer clarified that negotiations with the authorities are being held with everyone who can have influence at all levels, including the ministries of defense and foreign affairs and at the level of the administrations of the heads of state.

Asked whether the situation with access to places of detention of prisoners in the Russian Federation had improved, the ICRC regional director noted: "What I can share with you is that we are not satisfied with the level of access that we have, that we want to visit more detainees. I mean, it’s an obligation for us to be able to visit all detainees that are held by foreign parties."

"We continue to ask access at all levels so that we can obtain full access to all persons detained," she stressed.

Asked whether ICRC representatives have access to places where prisoners of war are held in Ukraine, Bauer stressed: "Again, we strive to access everyone. The access is not perfect on any of the sides. What we can say is that we visit more detainees on the Ukrainian side, but again, we can always improve." "But for us it continues to be important really that we in the public say that we need access to everybody, be they civilians, be they former military person," she said.