Ukraine's Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lyubinets has expressed serious concern over a Ukrainian citizen detained in Italy in connection with the explosions of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
The wife of the 49-year-old man reported that he continues his hunger strike and is in critical condition, Lyubinets said on Telegram. The commissioner published a photo from his meeting with the woman and noted that he had officially called on the Italian authorities to guarantee his fundamental rights.
The man, who could be extradited to Germany in a criminal case, refuses to eat since October 31, protesting the conditions in the detention center where he has been held since August.
Lyubinets said the situation requires immediate action and that he had contacted the Italian Ministry of Justice and the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Pina Picerno. “We need to do everything possible to protect the rights of the Ukrainian citizen, because his detention in a high-security detention center is unacceptable and violates the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms“, he said.
The man's lawyer, Nicola Canestrini, said he was demanding “adequate nutrition, a healthy environment, humane conditions of detention and equality in terms of visits with relatives and access to information“.
The “Nord Stream“ 1 and 2 gas pipelines, connecting Russia and Germany across the Baltic Sea, were affected by a series explosions in late September 2022, after which four leaks were discovered in three sections. “Nord Stream“ 1 was used to supply Russian gas to Germany, while “Nord Stream“ 2 was never put into operation after the start of the war in Ukraine.