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MOSCOW, June 11. /TASS/. Kiev’s move to regress on its human rights obligations in eastern Ukraine does not waive its responsibility to guarantee the key rights in the country, including the right to life, a senior Russian diplomat Konstantin Dolgov said on Thursday.
Russian Foreign Ministry’s commissioner for human rights has commented on Ukraine’s notification of the Secretary General Council of Europe that Kiev would derogate from the European Convention on Human Rights in Donbas, regarding the emergency situation in the country.
"No one waives Ukraine’s responsibility in the key human rights, first of all, the right to life," Dolgov stressed. "Exactly this right is violated by forces and Ukraine’s leadership who issue respective orders every day," he said.
The diplomat also stressed that the human rights situation in Ukraine is "catastrophic." "In this context, the suspension of respective obligations arouses special concerns and poses more serious questions for the Ukrainian leadership," he said.
In late May, Ukraine’s parliament adopted a statement on "Ukraine’s rescinding its commitments outlined in the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the European Social Charter."
The decree was passed by 249 votes in the parliament, 23 more than the minimum required.
An explanatory note to the document says that in view of Ukraine’s inability to protect human rights to the fullest extent on the territory of the military operation in Donbas and citing the need to repel Russia’s "aggression," Kiev has to temporarily rescind its commitments to upholding certain human rights.
Dolgov said this decision of the Kiev authorities is clearly an attempt to avoid responsibility.
"No one exonerates and will exonerate Ukraine from this responsibility [to protect human rights] and even if there is some suspension, in any case, this gives no right to Ukraine’s authorities to violate the respective commitments, fundamental principles and norms of international law," he said.