The international community remains deeply concerned by the situation in
the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the status of which is prescribed by General
Assembly resolution 68/262, which continues to be characterized by human rights
abuses committed by the de facto authorities. We reiterate our
support for the territorial integrity, political independence, unity and
sovereignty of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, which
continues to be violated by the illegal occupation and annexation of Crimea.
Since the occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in spring 2014 a
number of internationally recognized human rights monitors have published
reports on the human rights situation in Crimea, including those of the
Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, and of the Human Rights
Assessment Mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human
Rights and OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, which were
regrettably denied access by the de facto authorities. We also recall the 12
reports of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
on the human rights situation in Ukraine, a substantive part of each of which
is dedicated to the situation on human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
These reports reflect a number of serious and systematic human rights
abuses that continue to take place in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the
city of Sevastopol. These include measures such as the forced implementation of
the legal system of the Russian Federation, for example forced issuance of
Russian passports, and intimidation, incarceration and politically motivated
persecution of Crimea residents. Increasing impediments to the exercise of
free expression including tightening control of the media and establishment of
new regulations for media re-registration under the Russian Federation law, the
intimidation of journalists, systematic harassment and disruption of the news
media in the Crimean Tatar and the Ukrainian languages. The human rights
violations also encompass police-led brutality against ethnic Ukrainians,
Crimean Tatars and other ethnicities, including arbitrary searches and
seizures and arrests, torture and ill-treatment of detainees; the effective
proscription in practice of the Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian languages,
particularly in public administration, education, religious and other services;
the transfer of persons in detention to the Russian Federation; and the seizure
and violation of property and other economic rights of non-Russian citizens
along with their deprivation of proper medical care.
We strongly condemn the measures and practices of discrimination and
human rights abuses against Crimean Tatars, ethnic Ukrainians and members of
other minorities in Crimea committed by the Russian Federation as exercising de
facto control over the peninsula.
We call upon the authorities of the Russian Federation as
the occupying power in Crimea to address these concerns through the following
measures.
First, the Russian Federation must take all necessary measures to bring to
an immediate end all human rights abuses against Crimean Tatars, ethnic
Ukrainians and persons belonging to other ethnicities and others opposed to the
occupation living in Crimea, including, in particular, the discriminatory
measures and practices, arbitrary searches and seizures, unfair trials and the
practice of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Discriminatory
legislation, in particular that which has entered into force since March 2014, must
be revoked.
Second, the recommendations of the Human Rights Committee, in particular on
issues related to nationality, residence, labour, property and land,
access to health care and education, as well as the freedoms of expression,
association, religion, and peaceful assembly should be given due consideration.
In this regard, we call for respect for individuals who self-identify as
persons belonging to national minorities, as well as the promotion and
protection of their rights.
Moreover, we call for the immediate release of Ukrainian citizens Oleg Sentsov, Oleksandr Kolchenko,Ahtem Chiygoz and
other activists who were seized in Crimea, transferred to the Russian
Federation and detained and judged in violation of elementary standards of
justice.
The killing of Crimean Tatar Reshat Ametov and enforced
disappearances of Crimean civil society and human rights activists TimurShaimardanov, SeiranZinedinov,
Leonid Korzh and Vasyl Chernysh and others must be
investigated in a transparent way and the perpetrators brought to justice. Lack
of accountability remains one of the main sources of human rights abuses.
The Russian Federation must also reopen the cultural and religious
institutions of the Crimean Tatars, cooperate fully and immediately with the
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human
rights in the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and allow
unconditional and immediate access of international and regional human rights
mechanisms to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
We recall that the international community recognizes that Crimea is
part of Ukraine and call upon Russia to end its occupation.
We believe that there needs to be an international presence in Crimea
to monitor the situation of human rights. This is of paramount importance in
preventing the situation from further deteriorating. We encourage the
Secretary-General in this regard to consult regularly with the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human Rights and relevant regional organizations.
We encourage the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights to consider preparation of a separate report on the situation on
human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Ukraine) and underline the
need for full access for HRMMU and other international human rights missions to
the territory of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
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