31/05/2024 Culture, Science, Education and Media
PACE's Culture Committee has condemned the systematic erasure of Ukrainian cultural identity by the Russian Federation following the 2014 occupation of Crimea and parts of Donbas and the 2022 full-scale invasion. The parliamentarians highlighted extensive policies of "Russification", historical revisionism, and the denial of Ukrainian cultural identity, including the removal of archives, confiscation of history textbooks, educational indoctrination and the destruction of cultural heritage sites.
Unanimously adopting a draft resolution based on a report by Yevheniia Kravchuk (Ukraine, ALDE), the parliamentarians emphasised that such actions by Russia are not just acts of cultural erasure but amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, revealing “the campaign of genocide being pursued by the Russian Federation against the Ukrainian people in blatant violation of treaty and customary international law”.
The committee called on member states to review and strengthen the Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (1954). in order to establish “more robust pre-emptive mechanisms” to protect both “tangible and intangible cultural heritage” during and after conflicts, and reinforcing sanctions for arbitrary military destruction, as well as expanding their regulatory scope “to address less obvious violations against cultural heritage such as cultural cleansing and cultural erasure”.
The parliamentarians also emphasised the need for full reparations for damage to and destruction of cultural heritage, based on international law on state responsibility. This includes restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction, and guarantees of non-repetition, ensuring comprehensive protection and restoration of cultural heritage.
Finally, the committee underscored the need for resources and support for Ukraine in documenting crimes, preserving digital records of cultural heritage, and developing post-conflict cultural recovery programmes. The parliamentarians advocated for inclusive policies involving local populations in the restoration and protection of cultural heritage, fostering cultural resilience and democratic citizenship in post-war recovery efforts.