In August United Nation’s officials published new reports to the UN General Assembly, which reflected the submissions of our Association sent in 2026 regarding human rights violations in the Russia-occupied territories of Ukraine, including the Crimea.
New Report A/81/186 of the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Gina Romero, “Youth Activism: from Systemic Exclusion to Real Participation,” recognized the significance of the information about the occupied AR of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine.
It determined that the Russia-controlled education system “has been instrumentalized to spread state propaganda – often contradicting human rights – and to monitor, surveil and target students who are critical of authorities”, adding that “such environments create fear, enforce self-censorship and suffocate the dialogue and critical thinking necessary to enable youth activism”.
The Report condemned the response to youth activists with intimidation, excessive restrictions, unjust criminalization, punishment, repression, and numerous and grave human rights violations, often denying access to justice.
Other new Report A/81/185 of the UN Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, Graeme Reid, “Protection against Violence and Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Humanitarian Contexts” reflected our descriptions of Russia’s targeting through narratives of “morality and public order” by state and non-state actors.
The Report determined them as campaigns that function as a humanitarian risk factor by “legitimizing” exclusion from protection systems and increasing the risk of violence. They also shape political and institutional responses to crises by influencing who is regarded as deserving of protection.
Across diverse contexts of political transition, armed conflict and occupation, such narratives have been accompanied by attacks on minority communities, “morality-based” enforcement and the use of hate speech rhetoric as an instrument of political control, the Report added.
The Report A/81/185 demanded states to uphold obligations under international refugee, human rights and humanitarian law, including non-refoulement, and ensure that humanitarian assistance is provided without discrimination; to collect and use data only where necessary to improve protection, applying strict safeguards for confidentiality, informed participation and risk mitigation, while recognizing that the absence of data should not be interpreted as evidence of an absence of need.
