Rights of Kuznetsov, suspected of undermining Nord Stream pipeline, violated in Germany – Ombudsman
Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets stated about a significant violation of the rights of Ukrainian citizen Serhiy Kuznetsov, a suspect in the case of undermining the Nord Stream gas pipeline, who is being held in custody in Germany, and announced an appeal to the competent authorities of the Federal Republic of Germany on this matter.
Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said he had received another troubling update from the wife of Serhiy Kuznetsov, who recently visited him at a pretrial detention center in Germany. According to her, Kuznetsov’s basic rights are being seriously violated. Since November, he has not made a single phone call, despite a court having officially authorized telephone contact. The facility’s administration has yet to arrange the calls, citing “technical” reasons. Winter footwear that was delivered and stored in a warehouse has not been issued to him, and food-related issues have still not been fully resolved despite repeated appeals, Lubinets wrote on Telegram on Tuesday.
Lubinets said Kuznetsov is being held in a section for “particularly dangerous” detainees under conditions of near-total isolation, spending 23 hours a day alone in his cell. His wife is allowed to see him only once a month, and his ability to communicate and access normal conditions is severely restricted, he said.
According to his wife, such levels of isolation and pressure do not exist in other sections of the facility. Lubinets said the detention regime may amount to inhuman or degrading treatment and could potentially be considered a form of torture, which is unacceptable under international human rights standards.
Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said he is preparing official letters with a detailed list of documented violations to Germany’s justice authorities, penitentiary system and human rights institutions, demanding that the situation be remedied without delay.
"I will insist on being granted the opportunity to personally conduct a monitoring visit to the place where Serhiy Kuznetsov is being held. I want to personally verify the conditions of detention of our citizen, speak with him confidentially and assess whether his rights are being respected," Lubinets wrote.
As Ukraine’s parliamentary commissioner for human rights, Lubinets said he is demanding that he and his delegation be granted unhindered access to Kuznetsov and that his detention conditions be brought into compliance with the standards of the Council of Europe, the European Convention on Human Rights and the U.N. Convention Against Torture. He added that he remains in contact with Kuznetsov’s family and lawyers and vowed that authorities would not leave him alone to face the situation.
As reported, the extradition followed a ruling by Italy’s Supreme Court, which on November 19 rejected Kuznetsov’s appeal against a decision by the Bologna Court of Appeal, thereby upholding his extradition to Germany. Kuznetsov denies any involvement in acts of sabotage targeting Russian gas pipelines.