DECLARATION ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE TO EVENTUALLY LIFT SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA MUST BE OPPOSED UNTIL IT IS CHANGED
Roman Medyk and Orest Steciw
June 5, 2019
With reference to the excellent statement issued by Halya Coynash of Human Rights in Ukraine on the situation with the decision of the Council of Europe on sanctions against Russia (see attached), the League of Ukrainian Canadians calls on the government of Canada to use its influence in the Euro-Atlantic community for the Council of Europe to stand firm in sanctioning Russia for its illegal annexation of Crimea, military occupation of Ukrainian sovereign territory in Donbas, and gross human rights violations against Ukrainian citizens, citizens and residents of other countries, and its own citizens.
It appears that the Council of Europe looks set to cave in to Russian blackmail based on its declaration on Friday, 17 May 2019, that allows Russia to start voting again at the continent’s main human-rights body following the imposition of sanctions related to its annexation of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.
Friday’s declaration marks what could be the first major step by a European institution to roll back restrictions and sanctions that were imposed on Russia following its invasion, occupation and annexation of Crimea, and its invasion and occupation of parts of the Donbas in eastern Ukraine.
Canada can easily argue that the least likely body to adopt such a declaration, and to consider rescinding sanctions on Russia for its invasion of eastern Ukraine and annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, would be a body such as the Council of Europe that supposedly is to be focused on protecting human rights.
Is the Council of Europe turning a blind eye to the human-rights outrages the Russians are committing in Crimea?Are these Ministers blind to the more than 100 Ukrainian political prisoners, including 24 Ukrainian sailors, held illegally in Russian prisons? The list of human-rights abuses is long and should be, by itself, a basis for further sanctions on Russia and not rescinding those already in place.The Council must be held to account for this terrible action, which must be exposed for what it is – the appeasement of the Russian aggressor. This action must be opposed by Canada until it is changed.
We call on the Canadian government and all political parties in Canada’s parliament, as well as the international community, to voice their categorical opposition to what is the betrayal of Ukraine and the West’s liberal-democratic principles.
For more information please contact the League of Ukrainian Canadians
