Advocating for the release of the UA OSCE staff: key results from the PA Autumn Meeting and a visit to Türkiye

ULAG lawyer Ievgeniia Kapalkina and Margaryta Shabanova concluded their visit to Türkiye in hope to advance the efforts to ensure the release of Margaryta’s husband, Dmytro Shabanov, and his colleagues Maksym Petrov and Vadym Golda – OSCE staff members, unlawfully detained and prosecuted by Russia since 2022.

Margaryta and Ievgeniia joined the Ukrainian delegation to the 23rd Autumn Meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, and participated in meetings with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine in Türkiye, Nariman Dzhelialov and the Ombudsman of Türkiye, Sadettin Kalkan. 

OSCE PA Autumn Meeting and a New Special Rapporteur

The 23rd Autumn Meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly (PA) of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE PA) was held in Istanbul on November 17-19 November. Around 200 parliamentarians attended the event, representing 53 OSCE participating States.

They also met with Sharon Hodgson (Head of the UK PA Delegation and Chair of the Parliamentary Support Team for Ukraine (PSTU)), the German PA delegation chaired by Tobias Winkler, Daniel Fassler (Head of the Delegation of Switzerland), Farah Karimi (Head of the Netherlands’ Delegation), and Boris Dittrich (The Netherlands), as well as Carina Ödebrink (Sweden, Special Envoy for the return of Ukrainian children), and Bakhti Nishanov (Senior Policy Advisor, U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe).

They discussed avenues to further amplify support to the continued efforts of the OSCE Secretary General, Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu, raise awareness and improve stakeholder coordination in pursuit for the release of the OSCE Staff Members both within the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and in the delegations’ home countries.

During the Crimea Platform Parliamentary Summit on November 24th, President Pons announced that he and PSTU Chair Hodgson designated Boris Dittrich a Special Rapporteur mandated to maximize the Assembly’s contribution to securing the release of the three OSCE officials in detention.

 “In this role, Special Rapporteur Dittrich will spearhead initiatives that complement and reinforce the work of the OSCE’s executive branch, particularly the efforts of the OSCE Secretary General and will co-ordinate strategic advocacy and awareness raising activities by the Assembly to ensure alignment with the expectations of the families of the three officials, while maintaining regular contact with them.”

This is a significant and commendable step that was also one of the pleas made by Margaryta and Ievgeniia ahead and during the 23rd Autumn Meeting.

Margaryta and Ievgeniia had an opportunity to speak with the OSCE Secretary General, Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu, who leads the work on the release of the OSCE colleagues. In his statement at the OSCE PA Meeting called for the release of Dmytro, Maksym and Vadym:

“We cannot and must not forget the immense loss and suffering this war has inflicted on millions of people. Three of them, our OSCE officials Vadym Golda, Maxim Petrov and Dmytro Shabanov - have been detained for over three years. Their families have endured enough heartache. I am sparing no effort to ensure they are reunited with their loved ones as soon as possible. I thank the Parliamentary Assembly leadership for their support to my work to this end.”

Parliamentarians of various states called for the release of three illegally detained OSCE officials and reiterated their support during the bilateral meetings, and their interventions during the event. Sharon Hodgson urged parliamentarians to utilize all available tools to advocate for their cases in their home parliaments and governments. Pavlo Frolov, Member of Ukraine Parliament at the Session stressed that efforts should be strengthened to release Dmytro, Maksym and Vadym from Russian captivity and stop their prosecution.

This strong response fuels a growing hope that the pursuit for the release of the OSCE staff members will not only be kept on the agenda, but also followed by a concrete and coordinated action with an active support by the OSCE PA and its members, within the OSCE system and beyond.

Meeting with Ukraine’s Ambassador to Türkiye and Ombudsman of Türkiye

After attending the OSCE PA Autumn Meeting, with support from the Embassy of Ukraine in Türkiye, Margaryta and Ievgeniia met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine in Türkiye, Nariman Dzhelialov and the Ombudsman of Türkiye, Sadettin Kalkan. 

Detention of and prosecution of Maksym, Dmytro and Vadym manifests serious violations of human rights. They require urgent medical attention due to chronic illnesses and conditions of confinement, and need proper access to treatment that they have been systematically denied. During the meeting they discussed ways to ensure humane treatment, and facilitate the release of the Ukrainian OSCE officials.

Türkiye remains an important actor in furthering peace negotiations, and particularly vis-a-vis the exchange of POWs and return of civilians. Coincidentally, around the time Margaryta and Ievgeniia visited Istanbul and Ankara, several high level meetings took place in Türkiye that brought cautious hope. On November 11th, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov announced that he had arrived in the Turkish capital to resolve the prisoner exchange issue. In Ankara, a meeting took place between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. On November 19th, was announced that Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan received OSCE Secretary General Feridun Hadi Sinirlioğlu in Ankara.

As negotiations continue, the international community should remain steadfast in mediating and advocating for the humane treatment and the release of detained OSCE officials – Dmytro Shabanov, Maksym Petrov and Vadym Golda. Their safety is fundamental to the viability of the Organisation’s mandate, and a broader prospects of security infrastructure, including ceasefire/peace monitoring initiatives. 

Margaryta and Ievgeniia, together with representatives of the Human Rights Centre ZMINA, are now heading to the OSCE Parallel Civil Society Conference and the OSCE Ministerial Council on December 3–5. They will advocate for a strong commitment and urgent priority actions – both at the level of the OSCE and individual states – to secure the final safe release of the Ukrainian national OSCE staff members: Margaryta’s husband, Dmytro Shabanov, and his colleagues Maksym Petrov and Vadym Golda, whose detention has already lasted for over three years and seven months. 

Their release, as well as the return of all civilians is imperative to restore justice and achieve comprehensive lasting peace.