Downing Street finds the death of aid worker Paul Aurey, who is being held by Donetsk separatists on mercenary charges, “deeply disturbing”, who attribute the death to his “chronic conditions”
The British government imprisoned death in a Donetsk prison under pro-Russian control of one of its citizens, Paul Urey, 45, in April and accused of fighting as a mercenary in Donbas. Urey is the first foreigner to die in a separatist prison since the war in Ukraine began. The forensic investigation attributes the death to a multi-organ failure derived from the “series of chronic illnesses” from which the detainee suffered. The government’s version of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic has been refuted from London. The NGO Presidium Network assures that Urey was an independent aid worker and that he was arrested along with a compatriot, Dylan Healy, 22, while trying to rescue a Ukrainian family trapped in the middle of the fighting in Zaporizhia. The deceased’s mother, Linda Urey, has confessed to being “absolutely devastated” by the fatal outcome after weeks of asking for her son’s release and giving him the appropriate meds, according to Sky News.
According to Western media, the two aid workers provided humanitarian aid. They did not belong to any association, but they maintained contact with the Presidium Network. They were last seen on April 25 at a Ukrainian checkpoint. They then crossed occupied territory and were arrested upon reaching the first separatist checkpoint. “They have entered an area controlled by Russian forces, where we have lost contact with them,” the NGO said, reporting to the British Foreign Office. Urey appeared on television in May in handcuffs and made a brief intervention to blame the war on the West. His statement was deemed “under duress” by both his family and government sources. The pro-Russian authorities accused him of espionage at the time. In their version today, after the announcement of the rescuer’s death, which happened on the 10th, they confirm that he was a mercenary.
In a surreal statement, the Ombudsman, Daría Morozova, explained that the British citizen died as a result of “stress” and “misdiagnosis” caused by his “chronic illnesses”, as he was diabetic and suffered from cardiovascular, kidney and respiratory damage. . In addition, “he was in a depressed psychological state due to indifference to his fate in his homeland,” adds the representative of the pro-Russian republic, denouncing that London did not provide him with drugs through the Red Cross or negotiated on “his return as part of the prisoner exchange procedure. Instead, the separatists are said to have provided him with “necessary medical assistance”, although Morozova did not explain the terms of his detention, if he was given insulin or in a was hospitalized.
Despite his ills, the separatists have no doubt that Urey was a “professional soldier” and a very active mercenary, to the extent that he would have fought in Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan, in addition to recruiting and “training mercenaries for the armed forces.” of Ukraine,” said the Ombudsman. A profile that clashes with the image of two aid workers who took six hours to obtain permission from the Ukrainian military to enter the pro-Russian zone and who were not carrying any type of weapon at the time of their arrest. When Urey first appeared on Russian television, his daughters admitted to British media that they “wish the best”, but “unfortunately we are preparing for the worst”.
The Foreign Office has been in charge of relaying the fatal news to the British family. A Downing Street spokesman said the ministry is “urgently investigating” reports of the case. “Our thoughts are, of course, with his family and friends.” He has also condemned the Russian practice of exploiting prisoners of war by taking them hostage or forcing them to make propaganda statements under threat.
The Russian Defense Ministry estimates that 2,700 mercenaries are fighting against its army in Ukraine and has warned that if arrested they could face life in prison. The aid worker’s death comes in the midst of the crisis unleashed by the death sentences of two British citizens, Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin, and a Moroccan, Graguim Saadun, who are imprisoned on pro-Russian territory. The Ukrainian General Staff confirms that the three belong to its armed forces, although the Supreme Court of the Republic of Donetsk upholds the same argument as that of the late Paul Aurey, saying that they are mercenaries. Russia has ignored the precautions imposed by the International Court of Human Rights against the execution of the sentence.
Source: La Verdad
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