UN Secretary-General’s report on Crimea defines Russia as an occupier country – Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine considers the third report of the UN Secretary-General on the situation in Crimea as a continuation of the efforts of the international community to de-occupy the peninsula, which were reflected in the Declaration of the Crimean Platform.

This is stated in the comment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Foreign Ministry noted that the report was prepared in pursuance of the UN General Assembly resolution 75/192, approved on the initiative of Ukraine.

The report clearly defines the Russian Federation as an occupying power, and its "authorities" in the territory of the temporarily occupied Ukrainian peninsula as "occupying power." The UN Secretary-General confirms numerous facts of torture, illegal arrests, arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, violations of freedom of religion, expression, peaceful gatherings, by the Federal Security Service and other bodies of the Russian occupation administration," the commentary reads.

Ukrainian diplomats noted that the UN Secretary-General had once again called on the Russian Federation to end gross human rights violations and to abide by all its obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law.

In addition, the report states that Russia continues to ignore the requirements of UN General Assembly Resolution 75/192 and doesn't provide access to the temporarily occupied Crimea to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission, and the media are persecuted and punished even for printing the UN Secretary-General's reports about the human rights situation on the peninsula under Russian occupation. Such behavior was called "shameful and unworthy" by the Foreign Ministry for a UN member state.

"We call on the international community to increase pressure on the occupying power. Mass violations of human rights and freedoms, international law, including humanitarian law, will be reflected in the UN General Assembly resolution, which will be introduced by Ukraine with the support of partners at the 76th session of the General Assembly," the Foreign Ministry summarized.

As reported, the UN Secretary-General published a report "The situation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, Ukraine."