WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement regarding the continued detention of Nadiya Savchenko by Russian authorities.

“I join the defenders of human rights who have declared today ‘International Free Savchenko Day.’  The international community must continue to speak out against Nadiya’s inhumane treatment by the Russian Federation.   

“Nadiya Savchenko, a former Ukrainian fighter pilot, has been held unjustly by Russian authorities for 22 months. She is currently on hunger strike to protest the lack of due process in her case.  According to reports, Savchenko has been subject to continuous interrogations, solitary confinement, and forced ‘psychiatric evaluation’.  Her illegal detention and sham trial, which contradict universal human rights norms, is another example of the brutal crackdown on human rights occurring inside Russia, as well as a reminder of Russia’s willingness to break its commitments abroad.

“Nadiya’s bravery stands in stark counterpoint to the Putin regime’s lawlessness and brutality. Her continued detention is a highly visible manifestation of Putin’s contempt for a Ukraine that wishes to remain free, independent, and democratic.”