Human Rights Council 40: High Commissioner’s oral update on Ukraine – Interactive Dialogue
Five years since Russia illegally annexed Crimea, worrying reports of human rights violations and abuses from Crimea and non-government controlled Donetsk and Luhansk continue, including torture and arbitrary detention.
The Human Rights Council takes place in Geneva.
The United Kingdom thanks the High Commissioner for her update and welcomes the 25th report on the human rights situation in Ukraine and the report on Civic Space and Fundamental Freedoms ahead of Elections.
Yesterday marked five years since the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia. Disturbing reports of arbitrary detention, unfair trials and torture continue to emerge from the peninsula. Conscription of Crimeans into the Russian military continues, with approximately 14,800 people conscripted since 2015. We deplore Russia’s ban on international monitoring organisations and call for access in line with UNGA resolution 73/263. We remain deeply concerned about the welfare of 73 Ukrainian political prisoners currently held by Russia, particularly Pavlo Hryb and Edem Berkirov, who require urgent medical treatment. We continue to call for the immediate release of all political prisoners.
Tragically, the fighting in eastern Ukraine continues. While we welcome the decline in civilian casualties, we should be clear that this is an active conflict and casualties persist as a direct consequence of fighting in and around civilian areas. Russian-backed armed formations continue to disregard fundamental freedoms and restrict the work of the OHCHR. We are troubled by reports of arbitrary arrest, incommunicado detention, and torture of civilians in the non-government controlled territories of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Deputy High Commissioner,
In light of disturbing reports of torture and ill-treatment, what more can be done to ensure access to legal representation for persons subject to arbitrary detention in non-government controlled areas of Ukraine
Thank you Mr Vice President.