Violations of human rights in annexed Crimea

Motion for a resolution | Doc. 13728 | 13 March 2015

Signatories:

Mr Robert WALTER, United Kingdom, EC ; Mr Pedro AGRAMUNT, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr Volodymyr ARIEV, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Boryslav BEREZA, Ukraine, SOC ; Ms Gülsün BİLGEHAN, Turkey, SOC ; Mr Christopher CHOPE, United Kingdom, EC ; Mr James CLAPPISON, United Kingdom, EC ; Mr Mustafa DZHEMILIEV, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Axel E. FISCHER, Germany, EPP/CD ; Ms Iryna GERASHCHENKO, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Vladyslav GOLUB, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Andreas GROSS, Switzerland, SOC ; Mr Jonas GUNNARSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Oleksii HONCHARENKO, Ukraine, NR ; Mr Ihor HUZ, Ukraine, NR ; Mr Serhii KIRAL, Ukraine, NR ; Ms Yuliya L'OVOCHKINA, Ukraine, EC ; Mr Georgii LOGVYNSKYI, Ukraine, NR ; Mr Andrii LOPUSHANSKYI, Ukraine, ALDE ; Mr Jacob LUND, Denmark, SOC ; Mr Michael McNAMARA, Ireland, SOC ; Mr René ROUQUET, France, SOC ; Mr Stefan SCHENNACH, Austria, SOC ; Ms Ingjerd SCHOU, Norway, EPP/CD ; Mr Serhiy SOBOLEV, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Ms Olena SOTNYK, Ukraine, NR ; Mr Pavlo UNGURYAN, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Sergiy VLASENKO, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Viktor VOVK, Ukraine, NR ; Mr Jordi XUCLÀ, Spain, ALDE ; Mr Leonid YEMETS, Ukraine, EPP/CD

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

One year after the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, the human rights situation on the peninsula is disturbing. Persecution of Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians is taking place. Two activists have been found dead and thousands have left Crimea to protect their safety. The leader of the Crimean Tatars, Mustafa Djemilev, has been banned from entering Crimea. The Mejlis, as the Crimean Tatars’ main national organisation, is under constant pressure from the Russian security services (FSB). The Crimean Tatar television channel was searched by Russian police. The occupation government has closed Ukrainian schools and departments at universities. Persecution of LGBT activists is taking place on a wider and larger scale. Muslims, Jews and Christians of faiths other than the Russian Orthodox Church are under threat from local paramilitary groups (Samooborona). Language, national and cultural identity and freedom of religion, speech and media are under threat in Crimea.

The above-mentioned facts should be of concern to every human rights organisation. The Russian occupation government has banned the international community from assessing the human rights situation in annexed Crimea. This situation requires that it be the subject of a report by the Parliamentary Assembly.