British aid worker dies in custody in eastern Ukraine, separatist official says OLASMEDIA TV NEWSThis is what we have for you today:
A British aid worker detained by Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine and accused of being a mercenary has died, an official of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said Friday.
Paul Urey, 45, was imprisoned in southeastern Ukraine in late April and charged with “rental activity” by separatists in the DPR, a breakaway entity recognized only by Russia, Syria and North Korea.
Presidium Network, a nonprofit aid organization that advised Urey on the dangers of the frontline, described him as a humanitarian volunteer. The British Foreign Office had informed Urey’s family of his death.
No immediate comment was available from the State Department.
Daria Morozova, who holds the title of human rights ombudsman in the DPR, said on social media that Urey suffered from diabetes and respiratory, kidney and cardiovascular problems.
“For our part, despite the seriousness of the alleged crime, Paul Urey received appropriate medical attention. However, given the diagnoses and stress, he died on July 10,” she said.
Urey and another Briton, Dylan Healy, were detained at a checkpoint controlled by separatist forces in late April. The head of the Presidium Network told ITV News in May that Urey had diabetes.
Two other Britons and a Moroccan man captured while fighting for Ukraine have been sentenced to death in the DPR for mercenary soldiers.