As a result of Russian Federation
occupying the Crimea and starting the war in Donbas several hundreds of
people were imprisoned, mostly because of their public nonviolent
activities. Among them, there are: film director Oleg Sentsov, student
Pavlo Hryb, human rights advocate Emir-Useiyin Kuku, a journalist from
Donetsk Stanislav Asieiev, coordinator of Crimean Solidarity Server
Mustafayev, farmer Volodymyr Balukh, university teacher Oleh Glaziuk
and others.
All of them were either imprisoned by
false charges in the Russian Federation and occupied Crimea or
kidnapped and thrown in vaults in the occupied Donbas. Their life and
health is under serious threat, as most of them have become victims of
tortures and violence, the access of independent lawyers to them was
denied, they receive no effective medical aid, pastoral care, etc.
The Russian Federation demonstratively
parries the requirements of international organizations regarding the
release of political prisoners. Moreover, their number is constantly
growing, while prosecution of civil activists in Crimea has become
systematic. Just during two days in March, this year 24 civil activist
were baselessly arrested and transferred to the Russian Federation.
The Russian Federation as well as
ignoring the provisions of Minsk Agreements, according to which the
prisoners of war and civil hostages in Donbas should be released
without delay. Instead, some of them are waiting for release in
complete isolation for over 4 years. Even the International Committee
for the Red Cross has no access to most of them.
Taking into account all the above mentioned, the participants of the Religious Freedom Roundtable in Ukraine state the necessity of full de-occupation of Ukrainian territories of Crimea and Donbas
as an assurance of stopping of flagrant violations of human rights, and
address the Ukrainian authorities, UN member-states, European Union,
international organizations, World Council of Churches and other
inter-faith institutions with the following call to action:
1. To demand from Russian Federation to stop political prosecution and
to immediately release all the Ukrainian citizens, imprisoned out of
political motivation in the Russian Federation and occupied Crimea,
prisoners of war and civil hostages in the occupied Donbas and 24
imprisoned Ukrainian sailors. Until that time to demand to
ensure their rights and freedoms, such as freedom from tortures, right
to an effective remedy, right to a fair trial, freedom of religion and
unhindered access of clergymen and other human rights. Same demands are
put forward as to the protection of rights of those people, who were
imprisoned by court decisions before the occupation and who still remain
in the occupied territories and we demand to transfer them to Ukraine
immediately.
2. To appoint a Special Representative of the European Union for the occupied Ukrainian territories of Crimea and Donbas.
The powers and obligations of the EU Special Representative should
include permanent control of the situation of human rights violation in
the occupied Ukrainian territories of Crimea and Donbas and regular
public reporting to the Council of the European Union and European
Parliament.
3. To demand from the Russian Federation to provide unhindered access to the occupied Ukrainian territories of Crimea and Donbas and people detained there
for the international intergovernmental organizations, such as UN Human
Rights Monitoring Mission, OSCE Mission on Observance of Human Rights
in Crimea, Commissioner for Human Rights, other conventional and
institutional mechanisms of the Council of Europe, etc., and for the
international humanitarian organizations, such as the International
Committee for the Red Cross.
4. To initiate constant monitoring of trials of political prosecution victims
in the Russian Federation and occupied Crimea and to continue the
practice of European Union member states diplomats participation in
court hearings that take part on the territory of Russian Federation. To
organize missions, involving independent medical workers access to the citizens of Ukraine,
who are being detained in the Russian Federation and occupied Crimea
out of political motivation to control the conditions of detention and
health.
5. To appoint a Commissioner for the President of Ukraine on Humanitarian Affairs
to work on the release of Ukrainian citizens, illegally imprisoned at
the territory of Russian Federation, occupied Crimea and Donbas, and to create the Coordination Council for the President of Ukraine on Hostages Protection and Release.
The Resolution was adopted 25 July 2019 in Kyiv by the participants of the Religious Freedom Roundtable listed below:
І. Churches and religious organizations1. Orthodox Church of Ukraine
2. Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
3. Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine
4. All-Ukrainian Union of the Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists
5. Ukrainian Pentecostal Church
6. Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ukraine
7. Ukrainian Christian Evangelical Church
8. Ukrainian Free Church
9. Union of Jewish Religious Organizations of Ukraine
10. Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine
11. Ukrainian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church
12. Ukrainian Lutheran Church
13. Ukrainian Bible Society
14. German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine
15. All-Ukrainian Congress of Judaic Religious Communities
16. Center of Independent Charismatic Christian Churches of Ukraine (Full Gospel)
17. Religious Administration of Muslims of Crimea
18. “Umma” Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine
19. Missionary Union of Evangelical Communities of Ukraine
20. Brotherhood of Independent Churches and Mission Evangelical Baptist Christians of Ukraine
21. Victory Center of Christian Evangelical Churches of Ukraine
22. Mission Eurasia
23. Association of Missionary Churches of Evangelical Christians of Ukraine
24. Good News God’s Church in Slavyansk
ІІ. Human rights defending and non-governmental organizations
1. Institute for Religious Freedom
2. Center for Civil Liberties
3. Institute of Geopolitical Dimension
4. Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group
5. Association of Jewish organizations and communities of Ukraine (Va’ad)
6. Congress of Ethnic Communities of Ukraine
7. Eleos-Ukraine NGO
8. International charitable foundation Caritas Ukraine
9. “Dialogue In Action” Project
10. Christian Lawyers Association of Ukraine
11. Christian Rescue Service NGO
12. Crimean Human Rights Group
13. Zmina Center for Human Rights
14. Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union
15. Ukrainian Institute for Human Rights
16. Eastern-Ukrainian Center for Civic Initiatives
17. “Hushai” Association of Christian Lawyers NGO
18. Council of Peace Initiatives NGO
19. Euromaidan Press NGO
20. Association of Relatives of Political Prisoners of the Kremlin
21. All-Ukrainian Association of Captives
22. "Release from captivity" Organization of Families of ORDLO Hostages
23. “Bereginya” All-Ukrainian Union of Mothers and Relatives of ATO Participants
24. Institute of State and Church
25. "Hope" All-Ukrainian Association of Families of the Missing and Killed
26. Coming Back Home NGO
27. Blue Bird NGO
The Resolution is open for signature by other religious and non-governmental organizations. You can declare your wish to join the list of subscribers by e-mail to: info@ReligiousFreedom.in.ua
Religious Information Service of Ukraine