30th session of the UN Human Rights Council
Agenda item 3
Clustered interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on indigenous
Peoples and the Independent expert on the rights of indigenous peoples
Intervention by the Representative of Ukraine
September 22, 2015
Mr. President,
We welcome conducting this dialogue and find it very important and timely given to the deplorable situation in which the Crimean Tatars, recognized as indigenous people in Ukraine, occurred after illegal occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea by the Russian Federation.
Numerous examples of their human rights violations are duly reflected in several recent documents - the Report by unofficial Turkish delegation based on the findings of its visit to Crimea last April, the OSCE Report of the Human Rights Assessment Mission on Crimea (last July) and the 11th Report of the OHCHR on human rights situation in Ukraine.
All these documents prove that the Russian occupation authorities have turned the occupied peninsula into a territory of its own arbitrariness, permissiveness, intolerance and incitement of ethnic hatred.
An environment has been created in which all residents of Crimea and Sevastopol were actually forced to obtain the Russian citizenship and abandon the Ukrainian one. Those who refused to obtain the citizenship of Russia, face a threat of inhuman treatment, deprivation of basic social rights, confiscation of property and deportation. Those not willing to give up the citizenship of Ukraine are subject to ongoing discrimination by the occupation authorities.
There are also other systematic violations of fundamental human rights and freedoms, including restrictions on freedom of speech and on freedom of assembly and association; creation of artificial obstacles in access to education and use of the native language; lack of fair trial; existence of real threats to life of Crimean Tatars.
We demand from the Russian Federation to halt the practice of abductions, illegal detentions and imprisonments, prohibitions of entry to the territory of the peninsula for representatives of the Crimean Tatar people, violations of freedom of speech and mass media, limitation of freedom of religion and interpretation of any democratic manifestations of dissent as extremist actions.
We believe that there should be a resolute rebuff to the Moscow’s targeted stance of forced introduction of the Russian citizenship in the occupied territory and destruction of national identity of Crimean Tatars, as well as of other nationalities’ representatives.
We would appreciate hearing your possible views on what mechanisms the UN system, which, we believe, has to play a leading role in this situation, can use to stop persistent acts of intimidation targeting Crimean Tatars and facilitate granting immediate access and constant presence on the peninsula of the missions of international organizations to monitor the situation and eliminate threats to the security and lives of local residents, including Crimean Tatars.
Thank you.