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During the 34th session of the UN Human Rights Council on 28 February, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius together with the Ukrainian and Latvian Foreign Ministers Pavlo Klimkin and Edgars Rinkēvičs, and the Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Refat Chubarov held a debate to discuss the human rights situation of the Crimean Tatars on the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula.

The Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland, the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Kate Gilmore, the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Iryna Gerashchenko, the Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Joanna Wronecka, and the First Deputy Minister of Information Policy of Ukraine Emine Dzheppar also attended the event.

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister voiced his concern over the ongoing human rights violations, including the unlawful persecution and detention, enforced disappearance, torture and selective application of law, which altogether demonstrated the systematic pursuit of direct repressive policies aimed at human rights defenders, journalists, the Crimean Tatar community and civil society.

“Such actions taken by the occupation authorities constitute a rough violation of international law. Therefore, the international protection of human rights of all residents of the Crimean Peninsula, including Crimean Tatars, must be ensured,” said the head of Lithuania’s diplomacy.

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister also pointed out that Moscow wanted the international community to speak as little as possible about the ongoing human rights violations and systematic persecution of Crimean Tatars.

“As Russia has transformed Crimea into a grey area, the international community must demand Russia and the occupation authorities to immediately allow access for international human rights observers in order to end the systematic human rights violations,” said Linkevičius.

The United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Gilmore stressed that Russia used legislation applying to the fight against terrorism and separatism against the population of Crimea, and did not allow access for international observers to Crimea. The UN recommendations remain unimplemented. The Crimean Tatar leader Chubarov called on the international community to prevent Russia from repeating the mass repressions of the 20th century against the Crimean Tatar community by the Soviet Union, when Crimean Tatars were deprived of their native land.

Since the very beginning of the occupation of Crimea, Russia took active repressive measures against ethnic Ukrainians, Crimean Tatars, and human rights activists, who opposed Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. The freedom of expression, the freedom of peaceful assembly, the freedom of religion or belief are constantly violated in Crimea. It should be noted that Russia strongly opposes giving access to Crimea for experts of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, while the Mission’s recommendations on the human rights situation in Crimea have not been implemented yet.