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Ten persons prosecuted in ORDLO for expressing pro-Ukrainian views – OHCHR
KYIV. Dec 9 (Interfax-Ukraine) – In certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions (ORDLO), which are controlled by Russian-occupation forces, civil space and fundamental freedoms have been severely restricted since armed groups took control of them in 2014, Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine Matilda Bogner has said.
According to her, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) documented ten cases in which individuals in ORDLO were held accountable for expressing their views, in particular pro-Ukrainian, participating in public affairs and in one case for seeking legal remedies in connection with violation of their rights.
"We have documented ten cases where individuals were held accountable for expressing their views, in particular pro-Ukrainian views, for participating in public affairs and, in one case, for seeking legal remedies for violation of their rights," Bogner said at the conference in Kyiv on Wednesday.
She said social media content was censored, and social media accounts with views critical of the so-called "republics" were closed.
Bogner said many human rights defenders have fled territories controlled by armed groups since the outbreak of armed conflict in 2014.
"Those who stayed and continued to work face a high degree of danger, in particular the women’s rights defenders working to support victims of domestic violence," she said.
Bogner said that freedom of peaceful assembly in ORDLO remains very limited.
"OHCHR has not observed any meetings on sensitive political topics in any of the self-proclaimed republics," she said.
The head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said that punishing people for expressing opinions and participating in political discussions that affect their safety and well-being is contrary to international human rights law.
In addition, in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, OHCHR continues to document violations of human rights and international humanitarian law and make recommendations to Russia, as an occupying power, to remove them.
"The situation in Crimea continues to be marked by restrictions on freedom of speech, in particular with regard to opinions criticizing the policies and practices of Russia on the peninsula," Bogner said.
