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34th session of the UN Human Rights Council

Agenda item 3

Clustered interactive dialogue with Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders and Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment

Intervention by Permanent Representative of Ukraine

Ambassador Yurii Klymenko

March 2, 2017

Mr. President,

We welcome conducting this dialogue with two Special Rapporteurs, whose activities are highly relevant for my country.

Dr. Melzer, Ukraine congratulates you on taking up your function of UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and wishes every success in your endeavors in this capacity.

We share concern expressed in your report before this session that actual threats, I quote, «has given way to an increasing tolerance of violent political narratives and popular beliefs that not only trivialize torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, but even promote and incite their use in the name of national security and the fight against terrorism», end of quote.

In our view, this is exactly the case and shameful practice of the Russian authorities that use illegally detained, sentenced, tortured and ill-treated Ukrainian citizens as hostages of its aggressive policy against our country.

We call you to pay proper attention to unequivocal evidence of the systematic implementation of unlawful interrogation practices, torture and the methods of psychological pressure towards the citizens of Ukraine, held, in breach of the norms of the international law, in Russia and the occupied Ukrainian territories.

We would also like to appeal to you, Mr. Forst, to carefully monitor the situation with human rights defenders in the occupied Crimea given credible data documented, in particular in regular OHCHR Reports, that Russian occupying authorities enjoy a high level of impunity for targeting Crimean Tatars and Ukrainian activists and human rights defenders.

Thank you.