The Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted the updated draft of the resolution titled: “Situation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, Ukraine”.
The relevant document was backed by 67 UN member countries, 23 voted against it, 82 abstained.
The document concerns the protection of human rights in occupied Crimea, which are violated by the Russian Federation as an occupying state. According to the UN, 38 countries became co-sponsors of the draft resolution.
The key provisions of the document include references to the international legal definition of aggression, as well as a warning that “no territorial acquisition or special advantage resulting from aggression is or shall be recognized as lawful.
In addition, the draft resolution calls on the Russian Federation “to stop practices aimed at changing the demographic situation in Crimea, primarily by relocating its own civilian population into the territory it occupies , as well as forced eviction.”
The document also “condemns mass detentions of activists and human rights defenders on terrorism grounds, in particular representatives of the Crimean Solidarity civil initiative.”
The text “calls to put an end to the persecution and release persons detained for opinions expressed, in particular at the beginning of the occupation”.
The document also condemns the ongoing practice of compelling Crimean residents to serve in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and prosecuting those who refuse to serve. There is also a requirement to immediately release all illegally detained citizens of Ukraine and ensure their safe return to their homeland.
It is worth noting that Armenia, Belarus, Burundi, Cambodia, China, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, North Korea, Eritrea, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Russia, Serbia, Sudan, Syria, Uganda, Venezuela and Zimbabwe voted against the updated draft resolution.
The draft UNGA’s resolution will be finally considered in December this year.
At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated that the updated draft resolution is an important element of the de-occupation of the peninsula.
“This document is an important element of the de-occupation policy of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, which is being consistently implemented, including pursuant to the decree of the President of Ukraine on urgent measures of reforming and strengthening the state,” Ukrainian diplomats said.
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