In framework of ongoing co-operation with United Nations’ bodies our Association sent the submission to UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) for its Report A/HRC/EMRIP/2023/3 on establishing monitoring mechanisms at the national and regional level for implementation of the UN Declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
In ARC’s submission, prepared by Dr. Borys Babin and published now by EMRIP, we reminded on appeal to UN Secretary General to increase pressure on Russia and use all available mechanisms to stop the illegal “conscription” and “mobilization” of representatives of the Indigenous Crimean Tatar people into the armed forces of Russia, which is almost guaranteed to result in the death sentence being imposed on representatives of the Indigenous People, as well as their forced involvement in the commission of military crimes and acts of Russia’s state terrorism.
Regarding Declaration’s realisation in Ukraine ARC reminded to EMRIP that before Russia’s broad-scale aggression Ukraine adopted a Law of Indigenous Peoples of Ukraine on July 1st, 2021 and in 2022 in conditions of broad-scale Russian aggression Ukrainian government approved Procedure for Conducting Consultations of Executive Authorities with Representative Bodies of Indigenous Peoples of Ukraine and Procedure for Establishing the Legal Status of Representative Body of Indigenous People of Ukraine and Depriving It of Such Status.
ARC stressed to EMRIP that a day before Russian invasion, on February 23, 2022, Ukrainian Government also approved Strategy for the Development of the Crimean Tatar Language for 2022-2032. ARC pointed in submission that now the next sublegal acts are drafted developing the Law of Indigenous Peoples of Ukraine with participation of Mejlis of Crimean Tatar People and independent experts, including our Association’s representatives.
ARC will continue interaction with EMRIP informing this UN structure about ongoing Russia’s war crimes, racial discrimination and occupiers’ genocidal attepmts against Crimean Tatar people with determining as non-acceptable the situaiton when “Peoples friendship university of Russia” allegedly “host” “Russian-speaking components of the OHCHR indigenous fellowship programme” and “Moscow state institute of international relations” allegedly “co-hosts” the “School of Public Diplomacy for Indigenous Peoples”
