54th session of the Human Rights Council
Item 8 - Follow-up to and implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action
JOINT STATEMENT on the human rights situation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine
4 October 2023
Mr. President,
This statement is delivered on behalf of 45 states. The full list will be posted on Extranet.
As we mark the 30th anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action we recall its provisions regarding effective international measures to guarantee and monitor the implementation of human rights standards in respect of people under foreign occupation, and effective legal protection against the violation of their human rights.
We strongly reaffirm the principles of the Declaration of the Third Summit of the International Crimea Platform held on 23 August 2023 in Kyiv and recall the United Nations General Assembly resolutions on the Situation of human rights in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol, Ukraine.
We reiterate our support for the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders extending to its territorial waters, which continues to be violated as a result of the ongoing temporary occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea, and call for the full respect of the human rights of all residents of Crimea.
We support the key principles and objectives of Ukraine’s Peace Formula and underline our readiness to cooperate towards their implementation with a view to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
We condemn in the strongest terms the use of the temporarily occupied Crimea in Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion and its full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine.
We strongly condemn the ongoing attempts by the Russian Federation to legitimize or normalize its attempted annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol as well as other parts of Ukrainian territory.
We strongly condemn and do not recognise the illegitimate elections of governors, regional legislatures, city and municipal councils, organized by the Russian government and its collaborators on 8-10 September 2023 in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine – the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, as well as in parts of Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson regions.
We are gravely concerned about the reported continued violations of international humanitarian law and severe violations and abuses of human rights perpetrated against the residents of Crimea, including against persons belonging to the indigenous Crimean Tatar people.
We are equally concerned about the persistent and extensive abuse of so-called counterterrorism and anti-extremism laws to stifle opposition, including the recent enforcement of Russian legislation aimed at discouraging peaceful protests by Crimean residents.
We condemn the militarization of the educational process as well as the introduction of “military-patriotic” education aimed at undermining the Ukrainian identity of children, and the illegal conscription of Crimean residents, including persons belonging to the Crimean Tatar minority, into the Russian armed forces.
We are also deeply concerned about the possible consequences to the environment, in particular those related to the Russian Federation’s reported actions at the chemical plant “Crimean Titan” creating the risk of environmental damage in the northern Crimean Peninsula and southern Kherson region.
We call on the Russian Federation to comply with its obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law and reiterate our demand to the Russian Federation to provide safe and unfettered access to all temporarily controlled territory of Ukraine, including temporarily occupied Crimea, for established regional and international human rights monitoring mechanisms and human rights non-governmental organizations.
Thank you!
Delivered on behalf of:
- Albania
- Andorra
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Georgia
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Moldova
- Montenegro
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovak Republic
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- United States