Ukraine's human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, has expressed concern about a Ukrainian man suspected of sabotage against the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
The Ukrainian is in prison in Italy, and his lawyer said earlier this week that he is on a hunger strike because of the conditions in prison.
This weekend, Lubinets wrote in a Telegram post that he had met with the suspect's wife. According to Lubinets, she says that he is in "critical health" - a claim that has not been independently confirmed. It is not explained what is meant by critical.
Ritzau contacted the Italian Ministry of Justice on Sunday, which did not immediately respond.
According to lawyer Nicola Canestrini, the suspect is demanding respect for his fundamental rights. That is why, according to the lawyer, he has been on a hunger strike since October 31. This is reported by the dpa news agency.
He demands the right to "adequate nutrition, healthy and humane conditions during detention and equal treatment with other prisoners in terms of family visits and access to information", says the lawyer. According to the Ombudsman Lubinets, the situation in the prison requires immediate action.
- We must do everything we can to protect the rights of a Ukrainian, says the post from Lubinets.
The Ombudsman calls it "unacceptable" and in violation of international conventions that the Ukrainian is being detained in a "high-security prison under inadequate conditions".
He has therefore contacted, among others, the Italian Ministry of Justice. The Reuters news agency wrote on Tuesday that it had contacted the ministry, but had not immediately received a response at the time.
Suspected of sabotage
The Ukrainian is suspected of having coordinated sabotage against the two Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which run in the Baltic Sea between Germany and Russia.
He and a group of other people planted explosive charges on the two pipelines near Bornholm, it has previously been stated in a statement from the prosecutor's office in Germany. The suspected sabotage took place on September 26, 2022.
The case has also been investigated by both the Danish and Swedish authorities. These investigations were stopped in February last year.
The German authorities want him extradited to Germany so that he can be prosecuted. A court in Bologna recently decided that he could be extradited to Germany. His lawyer has, however, said that he will again bring the case before the Italian Supreme Court, writes dpa.
/ritzau/
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