Servicemen of the 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine fire a howitzer towards Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, 5 April 2024;
Credit: Reuters/Sofiia Gatilova/File Photo
(Reuters) - Ukraine's human rights commissioner demanded an explanation on Wednesday 31 August 2024 from Russian authorities over the death in captivity of a member of the Azov brigade who took part in the three-month defence of the port of Mariupol in 2022.
Dmytro Lubinets urged Russia to uphold the Geneva Convention on war practices after the death of Oleksandr Ishchenko, one of 22 Ukrainian prisoners put on trial in connection with their association with the regiment.
Azov is banned as a terrorist organisation in Russia.
Human rights and the return home of prisoners of war remain in focus in the 29-month-old war, particularly for Ukraine after many allegations of atrocities by Russian occupation troops.
The Azov regiment, founded by nationalist fighters but now incorporated into Ukraine's military, is revered throughout Ukraine, particularly for defending the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol from a Russian onslaught until the city was taken in May 2022.
Marianna Homeriky, spokesperson for the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders, said: "We have the same information as in open sources, which indicates that the defender Oleksandr Ishchenko died due to serious health problems that were exacerbated by the terrible conditions of Russian captivity, namely torture, insufficient quantity and quality of food, and lack of proper medical care."
