All news

Donbas transport blockade violates human rights convention — Donetsk parliament speaker

The actions by Ukrainian authorities should be considered as the violation of the international law, the parliament speaker of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic says

DONETSK, January 14. /TASS/. Kiev’s transport blockade of Donbas signals that Ukraine has in fact walked out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to which it is party since 1995, the parliament speaker of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic said on Wednesday.

“This is a military crime. By introducing a transport blockade of Donbas, Ukraine in fact walked out of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms,” Andrey Purgin was quoted by the official Donetsk news agency as saying.

The actions by Ukrainian authorities should be considered as the violation of the international law, he said.

“This is a standard practice of Ukraine of late which is illegal, and the international community needs to assess it duly,” he stressed.

The Donetsk republic’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday Kiev’s decision to tighten traffic control in eastern Ukraine comes in a “grave violation of the fundamental rights and freedoms” of citizens and the Ukrainian government will have to bear the full responsibility for the consequences.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry announced earlier that since January 11, seven corridors would be set up to control the entry to the zone of military operation in Donbas.

To get a pass, citizens will have to show passports and a copy of a document detailing the itinerary and the purpose of the trip to the territory which is under control or uncontrolled by Kiev.

Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council earlier promised that no additional documents other than a passport would be needed to cross the “border.”