36^th session of the Human Rights Council

Item 3

Clustered interactive dialogue with the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

Intervention by the Permanent Representative of Ukraine

Ambassador Yurii Klymenko

(Geneva, September 13, 2017)

 

Mr President,

Ukraine appreciates the work done so far by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to examine the issue of deprivation of liberty on discriminatory grounds and encourages continuing the analysis of this emerging trend. True, the deprivation of liberty is resulting into curtailing of human rights and undermining the equality of human beings; therefore to be just, it must not be arbitrary and must be carried out with respect to the rule of law. Discriminatory grounds, we believe, do not represent such a respect.

Sadly, the discriminatory practice, including in deprivation of liberty, has been thriving in the temporary occupied Crimea and Donbas – the territories of Ukraine temporarily out of the Government control as the result of Russian aggression against my country.

Numerous international reports present outrageous facts of systemic and large-scale violations of human rights in Crimea, including, among many others, arbitrary detention, particularly on racial, religious and cultural grounds. The practice of repression against persons belonging to specific ethnic and religious groups, including the Crimean Tatars as well as Ukrainians, has resulted in mass illegal searches and groundless detentions.

The ban of the Crimean Tatars Mejlis and consequent intimidation, expulsion, or incarceration of prominent Mejlis leaders had a detrimental effect on the exercise of political and civil rights of persons belonging to the Crimean Tatar community.

We insist that there is an urgent need to ensure international monitoring presence in Crimea in order to prevent further human rights violations there.

My Government reaffirms its readiness to further fully cooperate with the Working Group including in the context of standing open invitation for all special procedures.

Thank you, Mr President.