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Crimea and Sevastopol

Crimean authorities draft UN resolution on human rights abuses under Kiev’s rule

the resolution was drafted by Crimean human rights defenders, lawyers and political scientists who "know the Ukrainian period of Crimea’s history well"

© REUTERS/Jon Nazca

SIMFEROPOL. January 16. /TASS/. Crimean authorities have drafted a UN resolution on human rights violations committed while the Peninsula was ruled by Kiev, Chairman of the State Committee on inter-ethnic relations and deported citizens’ affairs Zaur Smirnov told TASS.

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Lavrov invites those concerned over human rights situation on peninsula to visit Crimea

"The draft resolution will be made public this week <…> The resolution reflects all events that took place during the Ukrainian period, starting from the late 1980s. In particular, the return of the Crimean Tatars is described in detail, including the violations of their rights that were committed while they were settling on the Peninsula. Besides, special attention was paid to the 2014 coup," Smirnov explained.

According to him, the resolution was drafted by Crimean human rights defenders, lawyers and political scientists who "know the Ukrainian period of Crimea’s history well, who have studied all the events that took place in Ukraine, including those occurring after 2014."

"All these events (taking place in Crimea’s Ukrainian period) have been assessed and analyzed from a political point of view, the fact was stressed that no legal decisions had been made and no one was held responsible for the violations mentioned in the resolution, including human rights violations," Smirnov stressed, adding that the document also mentions political abuses, and violations of ethnic and religious liberties.

However, Smirnov noted that Crimean authorities did not expect the UN to approve the resolution.

"We believe, the UN will not accept this document because we have already had negative experience as they once refused to accept an application related to the energy blockade [of the Peninsula]," Smirnov noted.

UN’s Ukrainian resolution

In December 2016, the UN General Assembly, by a majority vote, adopted a resolution condemning alleged human rights violations in Crimea and calling on Russia to allow international observers to visit the Peninsula.

Head of the Republic of Crimea said in response that human rights were not abused in Crimea.

After Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich was ousted in a coup in February 2014, mass protests began in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. On March 16, 2014, Crimean authorities conducted a referendum on reuniting with Russia. Over 80% of voters participated in the plebiscite, most of them supporting the idea (96.7% in Crimea and 95.6% in the city of Sevastopol).

On March 18, the treaty on Crimea’s reunification with Russia was signed by President Vladimir Putin, Russia’s Federal Assembly (upper house of parliament) approved the document on March 21.

However, despite the referendum’s convincing outcome, Kiev refused to recognize Crimea as part of Russia.

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Crimea and Sevastopol Human rights

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