Today, on December 30, the DPR Ministry of Information hosted a press conference by Human Rights Commissioner Darya Morozova in follow-up of the prisoner exchange, a correspondent of the DPR Official Website reports.
“The Donetsk People’s Republic fulfilled all its commitments and complied with all the recommendations of the Normandy Format. We released and procedurally cleared 55 people, of whom 51 people returned to Ukraine, 4 people refused to take part in the exchange to leave the DPR territory. The Ukrainian side transferred to us 61 people yesterday,” Darya Morozova said.
She also says that all those released are now in a medical facility, where they will undergo a full examination and rehabilitation, after which they will be able to go home. A large number of the returnees do not have their own housing in the territory of the DPR, so they will be provided with accommodation, as well as with jobs, if possible.
“I declare that the exchange of 2019 will be considered completed if the Ukrainian side fulfils all the commitments for the procedural clearance of the people they returned to us.
I want to note that all the detainees transferred by the Donetsk People’s Republic were convicted here under the articles related to the armed conflict (sabotage, high treason, espionage), in accordance with the Minsk Agreements. There is a false statement on the Ukrainian president’s website that most of the people we transferred were civilians,” Darya Morozova stressed.
She added that discussions on the issue of prisoner exchange, as well as the search for missing persons, would be continued at the talks in Minsk as part of the humanitarian subgroup’s work.