59th Session of the UN Human Rights Council: Centre for Civil Liberties and CIVICUS Call for Accountability for Human Rights Violations in Crimea

On 4 July, during the 59th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Centre for Civil Liberties, delivered a statement during the interactive dialogue on the oral update of the High Commissioner on the situation in Ukraine and the interim report of the UN Secretary-General on human rights in Crimea.

Participants of the session drew attention to the further deterioration of civic space and the widespread, systematic human rights violations in occupied Crimea. Particular concerns were raised about the political persecution of dissenters, the destruction of independent media, censorship, the closure of religious organisations, and the discrimination against the Crimean Tatar people as the Indigenous population of the peninsula.

Matviichuk stated that the Centre for Civil Liberties has been documenting cases of persecution of civil society activists and human rights defenders throughout the entire period of the occupation, targeting them for their peaceful activities. Many have been subjected to enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, torture, sexual and gender-based violence, and unlawful imprisonment on fabricated charges. Victims include Crimean Tatar activists, cultural figures, journalists, and volunteers. At the same time, these individuals have not had access to effective mechanisms to protect their rights or restore justice.

She also expressed concern over the forced conscription of Ukrainian citizens into the Russian army, the ongoing militarisation of Crimea, and the policy of forced population transfer aimed at altering the demographic composition of the peninsula. According to Matviichuk, the war and occupation have severely depleted the resources of civil society both in the occupied territories and beyond.

Participants of the session called on states to increase visibility of human rights violations in occupied Crimea, to provide flexible and long-term funding to civil society organisations, and to support the continuation and adequate financing of international investigations to ensure accountability, including for enforced disappearances and the unlawful detention of activists.