Halya Coynash: Kremlin-backed militants to put maimed and tortured hostage on ‘trial’
Pro-Russian separatists take part in a military competition between tank units near the town of Torez, in the Donetsk region, on September 24, 2015.
Instead of releasing a maimed and blinded Ukrainian in an agreed exchange, the so-called 'Luhansk people's republic' [LNR] has 'charged him' with acts of sabotage. 45-year-old Vladimir Zhemchugov has been moved from hospital to a SIZO or remand prison, which his wife understandably fears will kill him. This is the latest example of a disturbing trend where the Kremlin-backed militants claim that all its hostages are 'criminals'.
