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Moscow expects European court to adopt unbiased stance on complaint against Kiev — envoy

Alexander Lukashevich called on the relevant OSCE bodies to adequately and promptly react to Kiev’s flouting of its obligations in the human rights field

MOSCOW, July 29. /TASS/. Moscow expects that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) will adopt an unbiased approach to Russia’s complaint against Ukraine, Russian Permanent Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Alexander Lukashevich said at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council on Thursday.

"We expect that the court will adopt an unbiased approach to the Russian complaint and will thoroughly consider substantial evidence concerning human rights violations on the part of the Ukrainian authorities," he pointed out. "We call on the relevant OSCE bodies, including the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the high commissioner on national minorities and the representative on freedom of the media, to adequately and promptly react to Kiev’s flouting of its obligations in the human rights field," the Russian envoy added.

Lukashevich noted that the human rights situation in Ukraine remained extremely precarious. According to him, the lack of freedom of the media caused particular concern, given searches at media outlets’ offices and the prosecution of media workers under false pretenses. The Russian envoy also highlighted the ongoing discrimination against ethnic minorities and the authorities’ attempts to rewrite history. "Attempts are underway to whitewash and glorify Nazism and Nazi accomplices who are pictured as participants in national liberation movements," the diplomat stressed.

Russia earlier submitted an international complaint against Ukraine with the ECHR based on Article 33 of the Convention of Human Rights. 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.