Deputy Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya participates in the High-Level Segment of the UN Human Rights Council
03 March 2015 13:02
The 28th session of the UN Human Rights Council commenced its work in Geneva on March 2, 2015. The 3-days High-Level Segment of the session is attended by the UN Secretary-General, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, heads of UN agencies and about 100 high-ranking officials from the UN Member States. The Delegation of Ukraine is headed by Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Sergiy Kyslytsya.
Speaking on the first day of the Segment, the representative of Ukraine stressed that immediate cessation of Russian aggression on Donbas and end to the occupation of Crimea are indispensable pre-conditions to ensuring respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Precisely these criminal acts of the Russian Federation and Russia-supported terrorists cause untold suffering of civilians, thousands of deaths and injuries, persecution of ethnic and religious minorities, especially the Crimean Tatars, search of temporary shelter by over a million of internally displaced persons.
Sergiy Kyslytsya noted similarities of terrorist acts around the world: from Eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian militants operate, to Libya and Nigeria, attacked by ISIL and Boko Haram criminals. Women and children remain most affected by their inhuman actions.
He once again strongly urged the Russian side to immediately release people's deputy of Ukraine Nadiya Savchenko, who is being detained in Moscow on trumped-up charges.
On the first day of the Segment the Ukrainian theme was addressed, among others, by the US Secretary of State John Kerry. He noted that the most egregious human rights violations (murder, torture, abuse, rape, kidnapping for ransom, forced labor, persecution because of origin, religious beliefs and so on) occur precisely in the occupied Crimea and on the territories controlled by illegal armed groups.
In the similar context, the situation in our country was highlighted at the UN Office in Geneva during the briefing by Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights Ivan Šimonović who presented the next report of the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
That same day Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine held working meetings with Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights I.Šimonović and Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom Baroness Anelay. He also participated in #idefend EU action, which was devoted to the protection of human rights defenders, and in other events within the High-Level Segment of the Human Rights Council.
28th session of the HRC will continue until 27 March.
