Side event at the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference 2025: patterns of repression in occupied territories of Ukraine

The side event “Patterns of repression in occupied territories of Ukraine: Human Rights and Humanitarian Perspectives” takes place on Tuesday, 7 October 2025, at 13:30-14:30 in the Opera room on the margins of the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference. It is organized by the Human Rights House Crimea and its member organizations, particularly Human Rights Centre ZMINA, Crimean Human Rights Group, Crimea SOS, CCE “Almenda” and Regional Center for Human Rights, with support of the Human Rights House Foundation.

For more than eleven years, the civilian population in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine has faced systematic repression under policies imposed by the Russian Federation. With the escalation of the armed conflict, these practices have deepened and now encompass nearly every sphere of public and private life. The situation raises serious concerns under international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including obligations to respect the rights to life, liberty, health, and non-discrimination, as well as the duty to protect civilians during armed conflict.

These violations have created a legal and humanitarian vacuum in which residents of the occupied territories lack effective remedies and remain vulnerable to ongoing persecution. The cumulative impact of such measures is the erosion of basic rights and freedoms, alongside growing humanitarian challenges, particularly for vulnerable groups such as political prisoners, women, human rights defenders, minorities, and children.

The side event will highlight key areas of concern, including:

• Absence of effective legal remedies in the occupied territories, resulting in a legal vacuum for residents;
• Misuse of legislation on “extremism” to suppress expressions of Ukrainian identity among children and youth;
• Discrimination and persecution on ethnic grounds;
• Targeting of civilians for publicly demonstrating their Ukrainian identity;
• Harassment and prosecution of journalists, human rights defenders, and civil society activists;
• Politically motivated persecution of women in Crimea;
• Denial of adequate medical care to political prisoners, leading to worsening humanitarian conditions.

During the side event, speakers will provide:

• Concrete examples of ongoing violations and their impact on the civilian population;
• An assessment of the humanitarian consequences of prolonged occupation;
• Recommendations to the OSCE and participating States on strengthening the protection of civilians, promoting accountability, and ensuring compliance with international human rights and humanitarian law.

Panelists:

• Ms. Viktoriia Nesterenko, Project Manager at the Human Rights Centre ZMINA
• Ms. Kateryna Rashevska, Legal Expert at the Regional Center for Human Rights
• Ms. Mariia Sulialina, Head of Board at the Centre of Civil Education “Almenda”
• Ms. Iryna Baran El Ghali, International Advocacy Manager at the Crimean Human Rights Group
• Mr. Artem Oliiinyk, Advocacy Expert at the Crimea SOS 

Moderator: Mr. Dave Elseroad, Head of Advocacy and Geneva Office at the Human Rights House Foundation

Contact: Tetiana Zhukova, Human Rights Centre ZMINA, tz@zmina.ua