34^th session of the UN Human Rights Council

Agenda item 3

Interactive dialogue with Special Rapporteur on minority issues

Intervention by the Delegation of Ukraine

March 15, 2017

 

Mr. President,

Ukrainian delegation welcomes conducting this dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on minority issues and thanks for the presentation of her report.

First of all we would like to express our gratitude to Ms. Rita Izsák-Ndiaye for the attention she paid to the human rights situation in our country and we very much appreciate her prompt response and conducting the visit to Ukraine at the invitation of the Ukrainian Government.

Regretfully, we have to state that human rights situation in the illegally occupied Crimea hasn’t been improved since that time, on the contrary, persons belonging to minorities, especially Crimean Tatars, are facing tougher discrimination policy applied to them by the Russian occupying authority.

While no access to the peninsula for the human rights monitoring mechanisms or organizations is provided, the Crimean Tatars systematically suffer police brutality, arbitrary searches and arrests, torture and ill-treatment, unfair trials, politically motivated incarceration and prosecution, restrictions on freedom of expression, intimidation, seizure of the property.

Having in mind that preventing further deterioration has a paramount importance, we would like to express our hope that the situation of minorities in Crimea will continue to be in the focus of attention of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues.

 

Thank you.