Statement of the delegation of Ukraine at the UNGA Third Committee Interactive dialogue under agenda item 71 «Rights of indigenous peoples»

Statement of the delegation of Ukraine at the UNGA Third Committee Interactive dialogue under agenda item 71 «Rights of indigenous peoples»

Mr.Chair, distinguished delegates,

At the outset I would like to draw your attention to the drastically deteriorated situation of human rights in Crimea since its temporary occupation by the Russian Federation.

It is evident that due to the armed aggression not all citizens of Ukraine, primarily thos belonging to indigenous peoples, can fully ensure preservation of their ethnic and cultural rights.

The forcible disappearances, arrests, and torture in places of detention are an everyday occurrence in Crimea.

We call for the protection of many innocent citizens, including representatives of the Crimean Tatar Mejlis, as well as non-Tatar ethnic groups, who are imprisoned and victims of gross violations of human rights.

As one of recent cases, I would like to mention Mr. Nariman Dzhelyalov, the first deputy chairman of Crimean Tatar People’s Mejlis, who is currently imprisoned and is being persecuted for attending in August this year inaugural Summit of the Crimean Platform.

We call on international community, Secretary-General as well as Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples to pay particular attention to gross violations of human rights of indigenous people on the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. As a state for which protection of all human rights is a priority, we are concerned of the situation of systematic and numerous violations by the Russian Federation of the rights of indigenous peoples in the Russian Federation, whose political, civil, national, religious and cultural rights are restricted in Russia.

We urge special procedures, Human Rights Council to pay appropriate attention to this situation, in particular to reflect these cases accordingly in its relevant In July this year the Ukrainian Parliament passed the law that defines the Crimean Tatars, Karaites and Krymchaks as indigenous peoples of Ukraine. The law ensures collective and individual enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms, rights of indigenous communities against assimilation, deprivation of cultural values, eviction or forced relocation etc.

Thereforem could you share with us your plans of organizing a country visits and what countries are you planning to visit?

Thank you.