Ukrainian rights groups call for UN support on returning Ukrainian children

Representatives of Ukrainian human rights organizations addressed United Nations member states with a call to support the resolution “Return of Ukrainian Children,” which the UN General Assembly will consider on Wednesday.

According to reports from New York, this was announced on Tuesday during an event at the UN Headquarters: expert from the Regional Center for Human Rights Kateryna Rashevska, representative of the human rights center ZMINA Tetiana Zhukova, CrimeaSOS co-coordinator Sabina Ilias, and the chair of the board of the Crimean Human Rights Group Olga Skrypnyk.

Rashevska stressed that the unity of the international community is the key to returning illegally deported Ukrainian children and holding the perpetrators to account. She emphasized that amnesty for criminals is not an option and Russia must return the children immediately and unconditionally through an independent international mechanism.

“Amnesty for all criminals is not an option,” Kateryna Rashevska.

A Call to the International Community to Vote and Take Action

In turn, Zhukova urged delegations to “be the voice of those who are persecuted,” to make public statements, to send letters to political prisoners, and to join international coalitions aimed at returning civilian hostages and establishing a tribunal for the crime of aggression.

Ilias reminded that for the Crimean Tatars the issue of occupation has an existential character: “For the Crimean Tatars, this is not only about identity but about survival. If our people remain under occupation, we are at risk of disappearance.”

According to information from the United Nations General Assembly, the “Return of Ukrainian Children” resolution will be considered on Wednesday, December 3. Also in December there are plans to vote on the resolution “The human rights situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.”

The stance on the return of children and the protection of human rights in the temporarily occupied territories continues to be at the center of international attention and will influence future steps in diplomacy and human rights initiatives.

Source: Mezha