(Reuters) – A British aid worker arrested in Ukraine by Russian separatist forces who accused him of being a mercenary died on July 10 in custody, an official in the self-declared republic of Donetsk said on Friday.
Paul Urey, 45, was captured in late April with another Briton, Dylan Healy, at a secessionist forces checkpoint in southeastern Ukraine.
Presidium Network, an NGO which had warned Paul Urey of the dangers he faced on the front line, presented him as a willing and benevolent humanitarian. The family have been notified of his death by the Foreign Office, she added.
Daria Morozova, human rights officer in the Donetsk Republic, said the British national suffered from diabetes and respiratory and cardiovascular problems.
“Despite the gravity of his alleged crimes, Paul Urey was receiving adequate medical assistance. However, given the diagnosis and his stress, he died on July 10,” she said.
Two other Britons and a Moroccan captured while fighting in Ukraine have been sentenced to death by authorities in the Donetsk People’s Republic.
(Reuters report, French version Jean-Stéphane Brosse)
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