HRC 34 - EU Intervention: Interactive Dialogue on the High Commissioner oral update on Ukraine
Mr. President,
The European Union would like to thank Assistant Secretary-General for his important update on the situation in Ukraine.
The EU is concerned about the spike in hostilities as documented by the 17th report of the OHCHR Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. The escalation of the conflict caused critical damage to civilian infrastructure and deprived tens of thousands of people of life-saving services and basic necessities.
The EU is concerned about the high number of conflict-related civilian casualties as well as high number of ceasefire violations. It is crucial that all parties fully respect and implement their obligations under the Minsk Agreements as a first step towards a sustainable political solution that is based on respect for Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity and independence. We underline Russia’s responsibility in this regard and once again call on Russia to use its considerable influence over the separatists it backs to meet these commitments in full. We consider a permanent ceasefire as an essential precondition for all moves towards consolidated peace.
We strongly support the valuable work of the OHCHR Mission which brings impartial information on the situation on the ground. We are concerned about reported persistent patterns of human rights violations and abuses, especially with regards to rights to life, liberty, security and physical integrity. We stress the crucial role of documentation of past and recent cases of enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, torture and ill treatment for the purpose of future accountability.
We are alarmed by the patterns of sexual violence committed in the context of the conflict in the east, as documented by the recent thematic report and urge all parties to implement its recommendations.
The 18th March marked the third anniversary of the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula by the Russian Federation. The European Union reiterates that it does not recognise and continues to condemn this violation of international law as well as remaining committed to fully implementing its non-recognition policy, including through restrictive measures. The EU is following with great concern the ongoing deterioration of the human rights situation on the peninsula since its illegal annexation. Systematic human rights violations, including cases of abusive treatment of detainees, confessions obtained through torture and ill-treatment by the authorities, as well as imposed psychiatric internment on certain individuals and interference in the professional activities of defence lawyers are of great concern. Furthermore, the continuous persecution and violations of the rights of the Crimean Tatars and of persons belonging to Ukrainian speaking communities must come to an end, and the decision to prohibit Mejlis of Crimean Tatars must be revoked.
The EU calls on all sides of the conflict to respect international human rights and humanitarian law and in this context we stress that all international human rights observers should be granted full, free and unhindered access to the territories of eastern Ukraine not controlled by government and illegally annexed Crimea, as laid out in resolution 71/205 on the Situation of human rights in Crimea/Sevastopol, adopted by the UN General Assembly We stress the need to fully implement the UN General Assembly resolutions on Ukraine and recommendations contained in the OHCHR Mission's reports.
Mr Assistant Secretary-General,
What concrete measures could be taken to address the negative impact on life saving services of the increased attacks on critical infrastructure?
What concrete measures in your opinion could be taken to better protect the rights of individuals belonging to ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities?
Thank you.