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Donetsk republic calls on Kiev to complete prisoner exchange on 'all for all' basis

The self-proclaimed republic also urges Kiev to adopt a law on amnesty for militia fighters

MINSK, August 4. /TASS/. The self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) calls on Kiev to carry out a prisoner exchange on "all for all" basis and adopt a law on amnesty, DPR’s envoy to the Contact Group Denis Pushilin said on Tuesday.

"We call on representatives of Ukraine to exchange prisoners as soon as possible on the ‘all for all’ basis, to secure pardon and amnesty for others by adopting an appropriate law," Pushilin said.

He noted that there is understanding on prisoner exchange in the Contact Group on settlement of situation in Ukraine. "The issue of prisoner exchange remains very important. And there is certain understanding here," the envoy said.

There are currently 40 prisoners "from Ukrainian paramilitary groups" in DPR, Pushilin added. "Investigation is underway into activities of 28 prisoners who committed grave crimes. Proceedings have been completed for other 12 people, and they are ready to be exchanged," he explained.

"The Ukrainian side, in turn, handed us their lists of prisoners ready for exchange," Pushilin continued. He urged the Ukrainian authorities to implement points 5 and 6 of the Minsk accords from 12 February 2015.

"It is necessary to move in the direction of exchanging prisoners on ‘all for all’ basis, but a law on amnesty is needed for that. Without this law, it will be impossible to free our supporters who remain political prisoners on the territory of Ukraine," he concluded.

Minsk agreements on Ukraine

The Minsk accords were signed on February 12, after negotiations in the so-called "Normandy format" in the Belarusian capital Minsk, bringing together Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko.

The Minsk accords envisage ceasefire, weaponry withdrawal, prisoner exchange, local elections in Donbass, constitutional reform in Ukraine and establishing working sub-groups on security, political, economy and humanitarian components of the Minsk accords.

The Ukrainian forces and the self-defense forces of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk republics have repeatedly accused each other of violating ceasefire and other points of the Minsk agreements.