For ten years, Ukraine has been in a whirlwind of upheaval that began with the events of the Revolution of Dignity and continued with the Russian aggression - the occupation of Crimea, parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russia's armed aggression has had a significant impact on the life of our country, on each and every one of us. Ten years of war and occupation of a part of Ukraine's territory have caused significant negative consequences for the state and its citizens. Cities have been destroyed and people's lives have been crippled, faith in the security system, law and order and the rules by which the world has lived for more than 80 years has been undermined.
The war unleashed by Russia has claimed thousands of lives of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers, and provoked global environmental and food disasters. At the same time, the war has become a challenge to the global system of human rights and compliance with standards that should guarantee respect for human life and dignity. The effectiveness of a democratic political regime as opposed to a dictatorship has been called into question.
Russia does not respect the agreements and standards enshrined in international treaties, and deliberately undermines respect for recognised democratic values. Indiscriminate shelling, targeted destruction of civilian infrastructure, inhumane treatment and torture of prisoners of war and civilians, thousands of civilian hostages, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, sexual violence, forced mobilisation and passportisation of residents of the occupied territories, indoctrination of Ukrainian children, mass deportations and forced displacement these are just some of the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Russia and its army on the territory of Ukraine. Unfortunately, it is difficult to exhaust this list.
We are aware that we cannot protect human rights without our state. And statehood cannot be defended without weapons and military support from allies and the world. Without the de-occupation of Ukraine's territories, it is impossible to protect millions of Ukrainian citizens from the arbitrariness and reprisals of the aggressor country. And any inducement of Ukraine to negotiate on Russia's terms will only lead to the continuation of massive violations of the rights of Ukrainian citizens and numerous international crimes.
Therefore, with each war crime committed, our commitment to ensuring effective justice for the most serious crimes and bringing those who committed them to justice only grows stronger and stronger. We recognise that the path to justice is complex and long. It is necessary to strengthen the state institutions responsible for investigating and prosecuting those responsible for more than hundreds of thousands of documented war crimes. It is important to join forces with the state to develop effective measures to support and assist everyone affected by the aggression. And we must remember that the focus of the path to justice must always be on people and our common future.
The coalition of human rights organisations "Ukraine. Five in the Morning calls on the Ukrainian authorities to
- ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, ensure the synchronisation of national criminal legislation with international law;
- to develop and implement a holistic and systematic approach to supporting victims of Russian armed aggression, especially those who have been victims of international crimes and witnesses to them. They should receive the necessary support without delay and without expectations of reparations from the aggressor country;
- to develop and adopt the necessary legal acts for the reintegration of residents of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, to create the preconditions for the restoration of the state and life in the liberated territories.
We also call on Ukraine's international partners to
- continue to provide military support to Ukraine to stop the aggressor and liberate all the occupied territories of Ukraine, as only the restoration of Ukrainian control over the territories will guarantee the preservation of lives and respect for human rights there;
- continue to work on a mechanism for the release of civilians deprived of their personal liberty as a result of armed aggression against Ukraine (civilian hostages, political prisoners) and the return of deportees to the territory of the Russian Federation, including children, as well as persons held in detention facilities in the occupied territories of Ukraine;
- increase sanctions pressure on the aggressor country and introduce effective mechanisms to monitor compliance with sanctions restrictions;
- support the creation of an effective accountability mechanism that will be able to ensure effective justice for all the most serious crimes committed during the Russian aggression against Ukraine, and strengthen the capacity of the national and international justice systems;
- to provide coordinated and comprehensive support to the Ukrainian state and civil society organisations based on an assessment of real needs, with an awareness of the existing national legislative framework, its capabilities and limitations;
- Encourage and encourage the parliament to improve Ukrainian legislation in terms of building the capacity of the national justice system to ensure effective prosecutions for the most serious crimes.
20.02.2024
