People First – Open letter to President Trump

The NHC is part of the international campaign ‘People First’ for the release of captives held as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Before the summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska, a coalition of human rights and civil society organizations urges world leaders reject any agreement reached without the consent of both Ukraine and Europe.

Read the open letter to President Donald Trump

Our movement has come together around a simple call: put people first. A key priority of any negotiated agreement must be the release of all captives and illegally deported children of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Among them:

• Thousands of Ukrainian civilians held by the Russian state
• Thousands of Ukrainian and Russian prisoners of war held by both sides
• Thousands of Ukrainian children forcibly transferred or deported to Russia
• Hundreds of Russian political prisoners held behind bars for protests against the war

We demand:

• In accordance with international law, all Ukrainian civilians captured and illegally detained by Russian forces, including those sentenced by Russian courts, be released and allowed to return home immediately and unconditionally. Those whose homes are in Russian-controlled areas should be given the opportunity to leave for Ukrainian government-controlled areas of the country, should they wish to do so.
• All illegally transferred or deported children be returned.
• It is also essential to ensure the timely repatriation of deported Ukrainian convicts and patients of closed medical institutions, such as nursing homes and psychiatric facilities.
• All efforts are made to repatriate POWs, through exchanges or otherwise, as soon as possible and no later than at the end of active hostilities, as required by the Geneva Conventions.
• Russian political prisoners already sentenced to prison terms or awaiting sentences in connection to their anti-war statements and actions be released and should face no limits on their freedom of movement, including to travel abroad if they wish to do so.
• A special independent international mechanism is established to facilitate these processes, monitor their compliance with international humanitarian law, and ensure regular, transparent reporting on progress, including updates on the release of prisoners and adherence to humanitarian standards.
• Russia must provide immediate full access to all the captives and all illegally transferred or deported children for the UN agencies and ICRC.

‘Alaska 2025 must not become Munich 1938 nor Yalta 1945’
Read the op-ed in Le Monde