The Trump administration's engagement with Russian President Vladimir Putin should prioritize the release of detained Ukrainian civilians and Russians unjustly held for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and religion, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to US President Donald Trump.
"Any discussions about ending the war in Ukraine should address releasing detained civilians and opening pathways to securing justice for war crimes," said Sarah Yager, Washington director at Human Rights Watch. "Unfortunately, there has been no indication so far that the discussion of ongoing abuses will be on the table."
Trump and Putin are expected to speak by telephone on March 18, 2025, following a meeting between the US special envoy Steve Witkoff with Putin on March 14, and a meeting in Jeddah on March 11 between US and Ukrainian officials.
In its letter, Human Rights Watch urged Trump to prioritize the immediate and unconditional release of all Ukrainian civilians in Russian custody as a first step in any negotiations concerning Ukraine. Any agreement should also address justice for serious crimes by Russian authorities, including torture of detained civilians and prisoners-of-war; summary executions; the forced transfer or deportation of civilians, including children; and the indiscriminate bombing and shelling of civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Trump should press the Russian government to cease violations of international humanitarian law in areas of Ukraine that Russian forces are occupying, Human Rights Watch said. According to Ukrainian government data, at least six million civilians live in areas of Ukraine currently occupied by Russian forces.
Russian authorities coerce residents to serve in the Russian military, impose Russian citizenship, forcibly transfer civilians to other areas, impose the Russian state curriculum in schools and other educational institutions, and politically indoctrinate school children to deny them the right to learn and express their Ukrainian identity. The authorities have also applied Russia's discriminatory measures on religion in occupied areas, including against Jehovah's Witnesses, the Greek Catholic Church, and three protestant communities.
Trump should also press Putin to free people imprisoned for exercising their rights to freedom of speech and religion, Human Rights Watch said. The Russian government's repression in Russia has deeply intensified since Trump's first term and after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia's rule of law landscape has become unrecognizable as Russian authorities have weaponized the criminal justice system to silence critics and enforce conformity by adopting new laws that criminalize free speech, and by misusing and abusing other laws.
Memorial, one of Russia's leading human rights groups, currently lists 868 people as political prisoners, including 219 imprisoned for their anti-war stance.
At least 151 Jehovah's Witnesses are currently incarcerated in Russia for practicing their religion, according to the Jehovah's Witnesses organization.
Russian authorities' persecution of lawyers who defend clients critical of the authorities should give pause to US officials seeking to re-establish US business in Russia, Human Rights Watch said. In January three lawyers of the deceased opposition figure Alexei Navalny, received prison terms in retaliation for providing legal services to Navalny. The state equated their defense of Navalny with participating in an "extremist organization."
"Trump has succeeded in the past in persuading Putin to free people wrongfully detained," Yager said. "The administration's current engagement with Putin and the Russian government provides an opportunity to do so again.
