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“Russian military aggression followed by the full-scale invasion is all due to impunity, which began with Crimea… we still don’t know where it might lead in the end.”
On 26 February Ukraine marks the Day of Resistance to Occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol. Ten years ago on that day thousands of Crimean activists gathered outside the Crimean Parliament to show resistance against Russian occupation and in support of Ukraine’s territorial integrity. This resistance still continues today in different forms. In this interview, HRHF asked four prominent Crimean human rights defenders and representatives of Human Rights House Crimea member organisations, to reflect on the situation in Crimea over the past decade and share their perspectives about the future.
Statement on the 10th Anniversary of Crimea’s Resistance to Russian Occupation
On the 10th anniversary of the Russian occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Human Rights House Crimea, alongside its member organisations, and Human Rights House Foundation, reaffirms our unwavering commitment to the rights and freedoms of the people of the temporarily occupied Crimea. We demand justice and accountability for the egregious violations of human rights that have transpired since 2014 and have intensified since February 2022.
“The perpetrators of human rights violations and war crimes must be held accountable… we won’t stop [until then].”
Ahead of the second anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, HRHF spoke with Ukrainian human rights defender Liudmyla Yankina about the main challenges facing civil society, and the situation for human rights in Ukraine. We also discussed what has changed over the last two years through the prism of her work protecting representatives of civil society.
STRONG Civil Society
Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) implemented the 3.5 year STRONG Civil Society (July 2020 – January 2024) working to strengthen the role that civil society plays in the democratisation processes in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. STRONG Civil Society was co-funded by the European Union and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
HRC: The situation for Ukrainians detained by the Russian Federation
On 19 December 2023, HRHF delivered a statement at the UN Human Rights Council highlighting the situation for those unjustly detained or imprisoned in Crimea.
Коли я спілкуюся з [політичними в’язнями] та їхніми родичами, я кажу, що [юридичні заходи] не вплинуть суттєво на їхню ситуацію, але це необхідно робити.
24 лютого 2022 року адвокат прав людини Сергій Заєць та його сім’я стали внутрішньо переміщеними особами (ВПО) вдруге в результаті повномасштабного російського вторгнення. Вони евакуювалися з Ірпеня на захід України, де живуть досі. Проживаючи в Криму до 2014 року, Сергію та його сім’ї довелося переїхати з півострова після російської окупації. У цьому інтерв’ю для Фонду Домів прав людини, Сергій розповів про свою боротьбу за права людини українських політичних в’язнів, що знаходяться у російському ув’язненні, вибудові стратегічних справ та особливості життя та роботи під час війни.
Reunited: Human Rights Houses Network Meeting 2023
After several years of unprecedented global events, the Network of Human Rights Houses convened in Warsaw from 20-24 November for the first in-person Network meeting since 2019. Colleagues from 28 CSOs from 12 countries reconnected to discuss successes, common challenges, and emerging human rights trends. Together, the Network welcomed its newest member, Human Rights House Banja Luka.
Olha Skrypnyk on HRDs recommendations for the upcoming UN Resolution on Crimea
In December 2023, the UN General Assembly will vote for the eighth resolution on the situation of human rights in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. Human Rights House Crimea (HRH Crimea) member organisations have submitted recommendations to the resolution. This year, their emphasis is on new trends emerging amid the full-scale Russian aggression. In this interview originally published by HRH Crimea, Olha Skrypnyk, head of the Crimean Human Rights Group and co-coordinator of the Expert Network of the Crimean Platform, gives insight into these proposals and highlights the significance of this resolution and international advocacy efforts.
“On the first morning of the full-scale invasion [of Ukraine], we were all back in the Theatre together at 11 am. It was exactly the right place to be.”
From 29-30 September 2023, the Lesia Ukrainka Theatre visited Oslo to perform at the National Theatre its first play since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as participate in the panel discussion “When Art Rebels”. Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) spoke to the Theatre’s project manager Viktoria Shvydko to discuss the role of the arts during wartime.