Prime Minister of Sweden meets with human rights activists on Crimea Platform sidelines

Prime Minister of Sweden Stefan Löfven held a meeting with human rights organizations dealing with the protection of human rights in the context of the occupation of Crimea and Russian armed aggression on the sidelines of the Crimea Platform. Representatives of Crimean Human Rights Group (Olha Skrypnyk), Center for Civil Liberties (Oleksandra Matviychuk), and ZMINA Human Rights Centre (Aliona Luniova) took part in the meeting.

The meeting participants discussed the role of civil society in the Crimea Platform activities, in particular the work and plans of the Platform’s Expert Network, as well as the human rights situation in the occupied Crimea and Donbas, the release of political prisoners, the militarization of the occupied peninsula and war crimes committed by the occupying power, discrimination against Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars, curtailment of freedom of speech, and persecution of independent media.

Ukraine’s progress in taking the necessary steps to de-occupy and reintegrate the occupied territories was touched upon. Human rights organizations gave recommendations to the Government of Sweden for the pressure on the Russian Federation as an occupying power and support for the Ukrainian authorities in their efforts to protect human rights and regain control over the occupied territories.

“Sweden will continue to work with civil society to highlight the human rights violations resulting from the illegal annexation,” the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine stated after the meeting.

As a reminder, the inaugural summit of the Crimea Platform, attended by representatives of 46 countries, was held in Kyiv on August 23. The Crimea Platform is a new international consultation and coordination format initiated by Ukraine aimed at improving the effectiveness of the international response to the occupation of Crimea, responding to growing security threats, increasing international pressure on the Kremlin, preventing further human rights violations, and protecting victims of the occupation regime, as well achieving the main goal of de-occupation of Crimea and restoration of Ukraine’s sovereignty over the peninsula.

Photo credit: Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine