48th session of the UN Human Rights Council
General debates
Agenda Item 4
Intervention by the Delegation of Ukraine
24 September 2021
Madame President,
Ukraine expresses its deep concern regarding the human rights situations in Venezuela, Burundi, Myanmar, DPRK, South Sudan, Syria, Nicaragua, and the Russian Federation, on which I would like to specifically elaborate.
The situation in Russia really requires serious Council’s attention under agenda item 4.
Russia gravely violates human rights and fundamental freedoms of its citizens by restricting their civil, political, and cultural space, brutally suppressing peaceful political protests, killing or imprisoning opposition leaders, encroaching on the rights of ethnic, religious, and other minorities etc.
Journalists are continued to be subject to arrest, imprisonment, physical attacks, harassment, and intimidation for their reporting.
The recent State Duma elections have been marked by the Russian government’s interference and manipulation of the electoral process, including the exclusion of meaningful opposition candidates. Organization and holding of the Russia’s elections on the territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation – in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions – represent a serious violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and international law.
The results of these elections on the temporarily occupied territories will be null and void and thus, the Russian State Duma will be formed with violation of international law and its representatives will be considered as illegitimate.
We wish to recall the UNGA resolution 75/192 “The situation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukraine”, which condemns all attempts by Russia to legitimize or normalize its attempted annexation of Crimea, including the automatic imposition of Russian citizenship, illegal election campaigns and voting, change of the demographic structure of the population of Crimea and suppression of national identity.
Ukraine appeals to the Human Rights Council and the Office of the High Commissioner to give a proper assessment of the continued serious violations of human rights and IHL by the Russian Federation on the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
I thank you.