On October 2nd, experts of our Associaiton, Dr. Borys Babin and Olena Stadnik continued their systematic activities at Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, as a key annual event of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, with active communication with democratic states’ delegations, side-events’ discussions and reports on plenary dessions.
During plenary session “Fundamental Freedoms” Olena Stadnik reminded, that Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea and four Ukrainian mainland regions include total repressions against journalists and human rights defenders.
Expert described results of our Association’s communication with relevant UN Special Rapporteur Dr. Irene Khan about repressions against Crimean journalists includes persecution against resettled, displaced and migrated ones, with example of long-term politic repressions and racial discriminative acts against our ARC expert.
Olena Stadnik added, that all digital and Internet “media”, broadcasting in Russia-occupied Crimea and mainland regions are illegally controlled by Russian de-facto “authorities” and are used for facilitation the Russia’s tasks in ongoing conflict against Ukraine, including genocide calls and hate speech.
Expert added that ARC informed the International Telecommunication Union on challenges for radio- and tele-communication units and media created by the Russia’s broad and open military aggression, and pointed that relevant Union’s resolutions must be updated and amended as Russian illegal activities continue.
Olena Stadnik described the most striking example, when the illegal “fine” for Crimea Tatar newspaper “Kyrym” in 130 thousand rubles, which was done by Russian punishers this year just for publishing the report of United Nations’ Secretary General, and stressed, that “seems some next Russian “fines” in the occupied Crimea will be just for OSCE mentioning”.
During plenary session “Humanitarian Issues” Olena Stadnik added, that we informed international bodies since 2021 that criminal groups, involved in the child sexual abuse and child trafficking in the Crimea, are closely connected to Russia’s special services and to the so-called “Crimean republican authorities”.
So there is no surprise that, when Russian broad scale aggression started, Crimea become the key region for illegal deportation of Ukrainian children.
Olena Stadnik added, that when International Criminal Court, issued warrants of arrest for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of children and that of unlawful transfer of children from occupied areas of Ukraine, it was a good Court’s step, but it was not enough.
ARC expert stressed, that the main challenge for access to justice and remedies for Ukrainian children, that are still under the Russian control, is in common contradiction of any practical negotiation efforts to free children from Russian control, and in potential start of any proceedings against Russian officials who kidnapped and deported those children: any legal steps in such area de-facto block negotiations as Russia uses those children as hostages.
Olena Stadnik pointed, that the big challenge is in forms of recognition of certain Ukrainian children as victims in criminal proceedings, connected with such common crimes, as Russian propagandists’ and officials’ calls to genocide against Ukrainian youth, or propaganda of racial discrimination of such youth in common, or hate speech against them.
Expert added, that also the big challenge is the perspectives of cases, initiated by victims in Ukrainian civil jurisdiction against Russia as state for moral and material damage compensation; some experts declared on alleged material and procedurals immunities of Russia as state.
But Russia itself denied Ukrainian immunities for civil claims before in so-called “Crimea blockade cases” and the issues of moral and material damage compensation for international crimes, committed by Russia-controlled agents are not covered by immunities, ARC expert added. The statements in this report are the result of a year of systematic research by the ARC on these issues.
