MOSCOW, May 22 (RIA Novosti) – All possible time limits for the detention of two Russian LifeNews journalists in Ukraine if they were legally arrested have now elapsed, but their exact location remains unknown, the lawyer representing the detained journalists told RIA Novosti Thursday.
“To date all possible time limits for the detention have elapsed. In case they were officially detained, though there is no confirmation to that yet, yesterday should have been the key date and after that legal actions, which are impossible without the participation of a lawyer, should have been initiated. But we see nothing,” Tatyana Khokhlova said from Kiev.
“The exact location of our journalists remains unknown. We received no official information from law enforcement agencies regarding the exact location,” the lawyer added.
LifeNews journalists Oleg Sidyakin and Marat Saichenko were detained May 18 by the Ukrainian National Guard near the city of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region. Ukrainian authorities accused them of promoting terrorism.
News Media Holding, which owns LifeNews, has already requested the Russian foreign ministry assist in securing their release.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has urged the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to take all necessary measures to ensure the release of the journalists.
