I consider the kidnapping of LPR’s JCCC Mission monitor Andrei Kosyak, as well as the passive stance of the OSCE SMM on the case, to be absolutely unacceptable.
The arguments with which representatives of this international organization are seeking to justify their inaction are completely at odds with the context of the armed conflict. The Minsk agreements, as well as the OSCE SMM mandate, clearly stipulate the major function of the Mission: to monitor and verify violations of the agreements reached, and, at that, to do this in an impartial and unbiased manner. However, when a blatant act of aggression occurs – the kidnapping of a person with the inviolable status of a monitor – the OSCE argues that if its staff were not personally present when this incident took place, it cannot be included in the reports and the mission can therefore pretend that nothing has happened. This is an absolutely unacceptable position.
What is more, according to the information we possess, Mr. Kosyak was not merely kidnapped, but he is being tortured, interrogated, subjected to physical and psychological violence, accused of crimes that he did not commit, and the thories of these invented crimes get revised over and over. Apparently, Kiev is guided by the logic known as «for every man, there’s a law to convict him under.»
Moreover, it doesn’t even bother the OSCE SMM that the already pretty fragile trust in the authority and integrity of this organization on the part of the Donbass residents has now been significantly undermined. The situation inevitably presents the risk of an even greater escalation of Kiуv’s actions and an immense threat in many respects: in particular, the possibility of carrying out repair and reconstruction works in the territory of critical infrastructure facilities.
I recall that in order to repair the Donetsk Filtration Station, our technicians have to make trips there when they are literally a few metres away from the AFU military. And the latter, with the connivance of the OSCE, can now assume that they are allowed to kidnap anyone, at any time and regardless of the security guarantees they have provided. Does the OSCE SMM really consider this as a contribution to «ensuring peace and stability» under its mandate?
I would like to once again emphasize that this international organization ought to take an assertive and hard-line stance on this situation as soon as possible and use all the tools available to influence Kiev to return Mr. Kosyak to Lugansk immediately and prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.
Denis Pushilin,
Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic
Translated from the source
