Madam President,

The European Union thanks the High Commissioner for her update.

The EU remains gravely concerned about the deteriorating human rights situation in areas of Eastern Ukraine currently not controlled by the government of Ukraine, and in illegally annexed Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation.

We are appalled by the increased civilian casualties, including children, documented continuing arbitrary detentions, including the recent detention of Nariman Dzhelyal, continued credible allegations of torture and ill-treatment and violations of the right to a fair trial in these areas. We strongly condemn systematic restrictions of the human rights and fundamental freedoms, by the Russian Federation, of the residents of the illegally annexed Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, including restrictions to the right to freedom of movement, as well as to the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, the continuing violent attacks on human rights defenders, defence lawyers, journalists and media workers, and persecution of persons belonging to religious, ethnic and other minorities, in particular Crimean Tatars. Having in mind the landmark decision of the European Court of Human Rights of 14 January 2021 in the case Ukraine against Russia concerning human rights violations in Crimea, the EU calls for Russia’s full compliance with international humanitarian law, international human rights standards, and relevant UN General Assembly Resolutions.

We stress that all international and regional human rights observers and monitoring mechanisms should be granted full, secure and unrestricted access to the entire territory of Ukraine, as laid down in the UN General Assembly resolutions 71/205, 72/190, 73/263, 74/168 and 75/192. In this context, we call upon the Russian Federation to grant such access to the illegally annexed Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. At the same time, we stress the need to fully implement the UN General Assembly resolutions on Ukraine and the recommendations contained in the OHCHR Mission's reports.

We reiterate the EU’s firm policy of non-recognition of the illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, continue to condemn this act of aggression by the Russian Federation, and remain committed to fully implementing this policy, including through restrictive measures.

It is also crucial that all parties fully respect and implement their obligations under the Minsk Agreements to reach a sustainable political solution to the conflict in Eastern Ukraine that is based on the respect of Ukraine's sovereignty, political independence, unity and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.

We condemn the holding of elections to the State Duma by the Russian Federation in the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula. We also condemn the distribution of hundreds of thousands of Russian passports to Ukrainian citizens in Eastern Ukraine by the Russian Federation over the years, which also allowed them to participate in the recent Russian elections. This practice contradicts the letter and the spirit of the Minsk agreements.

Furthermore, the EU underlines the need to ensure and strengthen the respect for rights already exercised of persons belonging to national minorities as enshrined in UN and Council of Europe conventions and related protocols, non-discrimination of persons belonging to national minorities and respect for diversity, on the basis of a substantive dialogue with representatives of persons belonging to national minorities.

The EU takes note of the steps taken by Ukraine to implement the recommendations of the Venice Commission on the law on education and underlines the need to implement these recommendations and encourages Ukraine to take into account the opinion of the Venice Commission on the law on state language and adopt a national minorities’ law that is fully in line with Council of Europe standards.

Moreover, we also share the OHCHR’s concerns about the situation of homeless persons throughout the country, lack of housing for persons with disabilities and persons with low income, especially those living in rural and conflict-affected areas.

Finally, the EU underlines the need for Ukraine to undertake the necessary steps to protect personal data, including that of EU citizens. The protection of journalist and civil society activists remains important, as agreed by the Association Council.

Madam High Commissioner,

How can the international community support persecuted, arbitrarily detained or arrested persons, including Crimean Tatars, in areas of Eastern Ukraine currently not controlled by the government of Ukraine, and in the illegally annexed Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation?

What tangible steps can the international community undertake to support persons in vulnerable situations at risk of being left behind in Ukraine, in particular homeless persons, persons with disabilities and low-income families in need of housing subsidies?

Thank you.