MOSCOW, July 22. /TASS/. Moscow had repeatedly tried to draw the international community’s attention to the human rights situation in Ukraine but Western countries preferred to turn a blind eye to the blatant violations by the authorities in Kiev, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the Rossiya-1 TV channel on Thursday, commenting on the current international suit against Ukraine that Russia filed with the European Court on Human Rights.
According to the diplomat, Russia kept bringing up "the outrageous situation" in Ukraine at all international platforms. "We raised the issue before the heads of the regional organizations where we are a member, which are clearly capable of influencing Ukraine," Zakharova pointed out. "We did everything to publicly draw attention to this outrageous situation that has only been deteriorating. As you know, our country’s government bodies and legislators have been sounding the alarm for years," she explained.
In response, Western countries "showed total disrespect for the key human rights principles that the West has turned into its central idea," Zakharova stressed.
Moscow earlier submitted an international complaint against Ukraine with the ECHR based on Article 33 of the Convention of Human Rights, the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office said. According to the office, the complaint refers to the events that followed the 2014 violent regime change in Ukraine. "The appeal is intended to draw the attention of the European Court and the entire international community to the blatant and systematic human rights violations by the Ukrainian authorities, record numerous criminal acts in the international legal framework, force Ukraine’s authorities to stop committing them, conduct a proper investigation and immediately bring the perpetrators to justice, in addition to restoring peace and harmony in Ukraine," the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office emphasized.