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New Ukrainian president to face major human rights issues, says Human Rights Watch

According to HRW, freedom of expression is under pressure in Ukraine, "with physical assaults on journalists, and some foreign journalists who have criticized Ukraine...banned from the country"

© Zurab Dzhavakhadze/TASS

KIEV, March 26. /TASS/. The winner of Ukraine’s upcoming presidential election will face a number of major human rights problems, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday.

"The winner of Ukraine’s presidential election should be prepared to address a wide range of human rights issues," said Deputy Director of the Europe and Central Asia Division at Human Rights Watch Rachel Denber. "Addressing these issues is essential for assuring Ukraine’s future as a rights-respecting country," she added.

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According to Human Rights Watch, in Ukraine, "freedom of expression is under pressure, with physical assaults on journalists, and some foreign journalists who have criticized Ukraine have been banned from the country." "An activist died of wounds from an acid attack in November 2018, and attacks on activists fighting corruption and other problems are growing. Hate crimes are on the rise, and attacks by far-right nationalists on women’s rights groups, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) demonstrations, and Roma communities are not being effectively investigated," the organization added.

Human Rights Watch experts added that "people living near the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine face threats to their health and safety." "Many older people need to cross the line of contact between areas under the control of Russia-backed armed groups and the rest of the country to access social services and collect their pensions. But they are forced to endure long waits with limited sanitary and medical facilities, few wheelchairs, and no shelter to protect them from extreme heat or cold," Human Rights Watch pointed out.

Ukrainian presidential election

The Ukrainian presidential election is scheduled to take place on March 31. According to opinion polls, comedian Vladimir Zelensky leads the race, followed by incumbent President Pyotr Poroshenko and leader of the Batkivshchina (or Fatherland) party Yulia Timoshenko.

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Ukraine Pyotr Poroshenko

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