Statement on Ukraine to the UN Human Rights Council
On 15 December 2022, Human Rights House Foundation – a network that includes, in particular, Human Rights Centre ZMINA within the framework of the Human Rights House Crimea – delivered a statement on Ukraine at the UN Human Rights Council.
UN Human Rights CouncilMatthew Jones, International Advocacy Officer at the Human Rights House Foundation, highlighted arbitrary executions of unarmed civilians, enforced disappearances and the situation for civil society in the context of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
He drew the Council’s attention to the General Assembly’s Resolution “Situation of human rights in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine“, adopted on 16 December with 82 votes “in favour”. He recalled names of some of the many unjustly detained people in Crimea: “Emir-Usein Kuku, Server Mustafayev, Vladyslav Yesypenko“.
“More must be done to secure the freedom of all people unjustly detained and disappeared in Ukraine, including those in Crimea, some of whom have been in prison for multiple years,” underlined Matthew Jones.
Moreover, the Human Rights House Foundation representative welcomed the High Commissioner’s meeting with civil society during his visit to Ukraine on 5 December. He encouraged Volker Türk to make civil society engagement a continued priority during all aspects of his tenure in office and asked for the High Commissioner’s reflections on the needs of civil society representatives in Ukraine.
Matthew Jones, International Advocacy Officer at the Human Rights House Foundation, delivering a speechIn response Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed his shock concerning life and work circumstances of Ukrainian civil society, for example, in sharing shelter in order to be able to keep doing their activities. He also described that civil society representatives in Ukraine readjusted their program activities in response to the necessity of the day.
Volker Türk underlined the need for flexible funding opportunities which can cover the emerging needs of the population.
“I think they play a very crucial role and it is important to accompany them in this process of adaptation to a rapidly evolving and very dire situation, precarious situation, so that they can also support whatever they can do on the humanitarian front for the people of Ukraine,” concluded the UN High Commissioner.
Watch the record of the UN Human Rights Council.
Reference. The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) is a department of the Secretariat of the United Nations that works to promote and protect human rights. The office is headed by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, who co-ordinates human rights activities throughout the United Nations System and acts as the secretariat of the Human Rights Council. On 15 December 2022, the High Commissioner delivered a presentation on the findings of the OHCHR report on the situation of human rights in Ukraine with a following interactive dialogue.
