Commentary

On 22-23 February 2018, Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) President Eugene Czolij fulfilled an official visit to Vienna, Austria, where he addressed a Side Event of the 17th Winter Session of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly titled “Violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Crimea”, and discussed current Ukrainian issues with high-ranking OSCE officials and delegates from participating states.

On 22 February 2018, the UWC President addressed a Side Event of the Parliamentary Assembly organized by the Permanent Delegation of Ukraine to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the UWC Mission to International Organizations in Brussels.

 In his address, Eugene Czolij highlighted the brazen illegal occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, the gross violations of the rights of Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians, and the increasing militarization of Crimea threating the international community. The UWC President focused attention on the plight of the residents of Crimea who refuse to demonstrate their loyalty to the occupying forces of the Russian Federation, particularly the gross violations of their human rights. In relation thereto, Eugene Czolij cited statistics of the Crimean Tatar Resource Centre documenting 4 deaths, 16 new political prisoners, 16 disappearances, 286 detainees, 340 interrogations, 62 searches, 46 arrests and 104 fines in 2017 in occupied Crimea. The UWC President also highlighted the forced Russification, the blocking of access for international human rights organizations to monitor violations, and the lack of access to independent media. Eugene Czolij underscored the need to deploy to Crimea a monitoring mission or, in its absence, a remote monitoring mission in lieu to reduce the number of violations of human rights. The UWC President also called for regular reports by OSCE experts on the status of human rights in Crimea.

Eugene Czolij raised these issues during meetings with OSCE high-ranking officials and delegates from participating states. He also focused attention on the intensification of Russian aggression in Eastern Ukraine. The UWC President highlighted the reforms being realized in Ukraine at a time when it is countering Russian military aggression. Eugene Czolij called for the OSCE to deploy to Crimea a monitoring or a remote monitoring mission, and for member-states to support a UN peacekeeping mission to Eastern Ukraine; the strengthening of sanctions against the Russian Federation for gross violations of the Minsk agreements; exclusion of the Russian Federation from the SWIFT financial network; and adoption of Magnitsky legislation and its application for human rights violations including in Crimea. The UWC President also called upon the high-ranking officials of the OSCE and member-states to refrain from travelling to the 21st FIFA World Cup in the Russian Federation demonstrating that human rights take precedence over football matches.

 The UWC President was accompanied on his trip to Austria by Director of the UWC Mission to International Organizations in  Brussels  Maryna Iaroshevych.

 “Addressing the Side Event of the 17th Winter Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and meetings with OSCE high-ranking officials and delegations of OSCE member states presented the opportunity to outline and discuss current issues related to the protection of the human rights of Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars in illegally occupied by the Russian Federation Crimea and the means for the international community to counter the hybrid war of the Russian Federation,” stated UWC President Eugene Czolij.