Interactive dialogue with the High Commissioner on the findings of OHCHR reports on the situation of human rights in Ukraine
Statement by the First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
H.E Ms. Emine Dzhaparova
Geneva, 1 October 2020
As prepared. Check against delivery
Madam President,
I thank the High Commissioner for her presentation and update.
We do appreciate the work of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine whose mandate has been recently extended by the Government of Ukraine for the next six-month period.
The 30th High Commissioner’s Office Report, as well as other Mission’s findings presented here demonstrate once again the terrible and ongoing consequences of the Russian armed aggression against my country. Over 40 thousand people wounded, over 14 thousand being killed; 1.5 million fled their homes.
This is a bleeding wound on my country’s body, as it is on my own heart of a Crimean Tatar who had to flee its native home in Crimea after Russian occupation in 2014.
Children, born that year, already went to schools with militarized education where war and hatred towards Ukraine have been being propagated every day.
Russia shuts down the voices of dissent with the occupation regime by repressions and jail. It targets human rights activists, journalists, religious minorities, indigenous people. The ban of the Crimean Tatar Mejlis along with the mass persecution of the Crimean Tatar people is nothing else but racial discrimination.
Searches, arrests, long-term imprisonment are a daily reality in Crimea. Over 100 citizens of Ukraine – most of them Crimean Tatars – remain detained under the pretext of “fighting the terrorism”. Somehow Ukraine never heard of “terrorists and extremists” in Crimea before 2014.
The unlawful decision of the Russian court of 16 September 2020 is telling how the occupying power uses its anti-terrorist legislation to silence any dissenting voice. Marlen Asanov, Memet Belialov, Server Zekiriaiev, Timur Ibrahimov, Server Mustafaiev, Seyran Saliiev and Edem Smailov were sentenced to combined 110 years of prison for a crime they never committed.
The basic human rights (to life, to liberty and security, to fair trial) and freedoms (of speech, assembly, religion; from torture, etc.) are trampled down by the occupation authorities. Neither the freedom of religion is respected as the occupation administration conducts systemic policy of forcing the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, including other religious communities, out of the peninsula.
Russia fails to uphold its obligations under IHL by carrying out military conscription in Crimea, by conducting forcible transfers and deportations of protected persons. At least, from 200 thousand to 800 thousand of Russian citizens were moved to Crimea.
In order to further consolidate the colonization of the occupied peninsula, last March the President of the Russian Federation, in violation of IHL, signed a decree, which added Crimea to so-called “border territories”, thus, depriving Ukrainians of their right to own land. It is another page in the long list of coercive measures aimed at forcing the population of Crimea to renounce their Ukrainian citizenship in favour of the Russian.
Neither Russia gives up its efforts to normalize its territorial gains through various voting campaigns. The conduct of the all-Russian constitutional referendum on 25 June – 1 July 2020 in the occupied territory of Ukraine – both Crimea and Donbas – was a clear violation of IHL, as were so-called “local elections” in Crimea on 13 September 2020.
Moreover, as we see it now, by barbarically changing flows of rivers in Crimea, Russia is weaponizing water supplies – both to intimidate the protected persons and to support its growing occupation machinery. The development of the military infrastructure and military industrial facilities, as well as military personnel build-up, the active relocation of Russian citizens to the occupied Crimea lead to a growing demand for water. However, the needs of the local population are not the priority.
People are never an issue for the Russian Federation. All the occupants care about – is land and sea to accomplish their evil geopolitical ambitions.
The situation in the occupied Donbas, which is the continuation of the Russian aggression launched with the attempted annexation of Crimea, is a deadly attestation of the very nature of Russia’s aggressive politics.
As the UN Mission repeatedly reported before, continued cross-border inflow of sophisticated weaponry and fighters from Russia have a direct impact on all human rights of individuals living in Donbas. Russia’s military aggression is a very root-cause of a dire humanitarian situation there – we should address together.
On its part, Ukraine continues its tireless efforts within two negotiating formats – the Trilateral Contact Group and Normandy Four – to bring peace back to Donbas. We reconfirm our commitment to the ceasefire regime established as of July 27, despite ongoing everyday provocations committed by the Russian armed formations.
Ukraine is doing its utmost to move forward with the humanitarian agenda. Particular attention within the TCG is paid to the release of hostages illegally held by Russia in the temporarily occupied territories. It is a matter of deep concern that the Human Rights High Commissioner`s Office and the ICRC continue to be denied unhindered access to the occupied Donbas, contrary to the agreements reached within the TCG and in the Normandy Four format.
We urge the Russian Federation to start, unlike previous years, to implement and respect the United Nations Charter and norms of international law, commitment to which the Russian Foreign Minister has recently reaffirmed in New York at the commemoration event on the 75th anniversary of the United Nations.
We believe that the discussions under the agenda item “Situation in the occupied territories of Ukraine” of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, the adoption of the UN GA resolutions related to the occupied Crimea, and consolidation of international framework on Crimea will contribute to our joint efforts to de-occupy Ukraine’s territories and restore respect for international law and order.
And finally, a bit more than a week ago I talked to the citizen journalist Nariman Mamediminov, who spent two and a half years in jail for the video clip produced in 2013. Let me thank you all on his behalf for your attention to the issue of Crimea and your support for Ukrainian citizens, as this is the only instrument that prevents mass imprisonments. Publicity saves lives.
I thank you.