This photograph and more from the event can be downloaded here.
- Dave Elseroad (moderator), Human Rights House Foundation
- Kateryna Rashevska, Regional Centre for Human Rights / Human Rights House Crimea
- Tetiana Pechonchyk, ZMINA Human Rights Centre / Human Rights House Crimea
- Mariia Sulialina, Centre for Civic Education “Almenda” / Human Rights House Crimea
- Olga Skrypnyk, Crimean Human Rights Group / Human Rights House Crimea
- Svitlana Valko, Truth Hounds
- Antanina Maslyka, Netherlands Helsinki Committee, Civic Solidarity Platform
- Yuliya Erner, DRA e.V., CivilM+ Platform
The large-scale military escalation of Russia’s war against Ukraine on 24 February 2022 is a challenge to European security and the liberal international order erected since the end of the second World War. Three weeks later, credible reporting from independent civil society actors and UN Special Procedures highlights abductions and arrests of Ukrainian activists, human rights defenders, volunteers, journalists, and political leaders in areas partially occupied by Russia; religious persecution by Russian forces in occupied regions; indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets, including hospitals, by the Russian military; and, actions to hinder the delivery of humanitarian assistance to those affected by the war. At the same time, Russia’s war against Ukraine has forced human rights defenders living in Ukraine, including Belarusian human rights defenders, to flee fearing reprisal by Russian forces.
In response, the delegations of 45 OSCE participating States invoked the Moscow (Human Dimension) Mechanism to “address the human rights and humanitarian impacts of the Russian Federation’s invasion and acts of war, supported by Belarus, on the people of Ukraine, within Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders and territorial waters”.
At the same time, Ukrainian civil society has made a number of calls to the international community.The Kyiv Declaration, signed by more than 100 civil society activists, lays out six security-related demands. Ukrainian human rights organisations demand international monitoring missions. International human rights organisations urge states to ensure accountability, protect human rights defenders, and support independent media and journalists.
This civil society-led event, held prior to the start of the Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting, will provide the opportunity for timely updates on the human rights and security situation in Ukraine resulting from Russia’s invasion. It will also focus on next steps following publication of the Moscow Mechanism report in early April, as well as key steps OSCE participating States can take to support Ukraine, Ukrainian civil society, and human rights defenders.
The event was organised by
- Ahalar
- Centre for Civic Education “Almenda”
- Center for Civil Liberties
- Civic Solidarity Platform
- CivilM Plus Platform
- Crimean Human Rights Group
- DRA e.V.
- Educational Human Rights House Chernihiv
- EuromaidanSOS
- Human Rights House Crimea
- Human Rights House Foundation
- MART
- Moloda Prosvita Prykarpattia
- Netherlands Helsinki Committee
- Norwegian Helsinki Committee
- Regional Centre for Human Rights
- Truth Hounds
- Ukrainian Helsinki Union
- UMDPL
- Human Rights Vector
- Vostok SOS
- Zmina Human Rights Centre
