39^th session of the UN Human Rights Council

Agenda items 3 and 5

Clustered interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous People

Intervention by Permanent Representative of Ukraine, Ambassador Yurii Klymenko

September 19, 2018

Mr. President,

Ukraine’s commitment to protection of indigenous people has been reaffirmed in the Constitution of Ukraine. A landmark decision of the Parliament of Ukraine of 2014 endorsed the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.

Unfortunately, today Crimean Tatars suffer severely under occupation by the Russian Federation.

Practices of intimidation, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, killings, denial of the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of speech, to which Russian authorities so willingly resort to suppress opposition also inside their country, are utilized with vigorous zeal in Crimea – the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine.

This is evidenced by the latest OHCHR report on the situation, which points to a clear pattern of targeting specifically the Crimean Tatar population.

Despite calls, reflected in two UN General Assembly resolutions and the provisional decision of the International Court of Justice, Russia continues to uphold its ban on activities of the Mejlis – the representative body of Crimean Tatars.

These Russia’s actions represent a blatant systematic and deliberate violation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People and its obligations under international law.

We believe that close and robust monitoring on the ground by international human rights mechanisms is critical due to Russian ruthless policies against Crimean Tatars.

We thank the OHCHR for its efforts and count on further action in this regard as well as call on the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous People to join in. Madame Special Rapporteur, let me reiterate our invitation to pay a country visit to Ukraine.

I thank you.