Today, the Committee together with the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, Kyiv Dialogue and the International Renaissance Foundation held a round-table on the topic "Human rights in the armed conflict and in the course of reforms."
"I
am glad that today, on the International Human Rights Day, we have an opportunity
to gather and exchange our views on the recommendations on human rights
protection in the armed conflict and in the course of reforms. If we want to
build a democratic state, then neither the security reasons nor economic
(regarding implementation of reforms) should have influence on the protection
of human rights and freedoms in Ukraine," Chairperson of the Committee on
Human Rights Hryhorii Nemyria said.
During the round-table presented were recommendations concerning the
improvement of the human rights situation in Ukraine. The recommendations were
elaborated by the Kyiv Dialogue and Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group
following the 11th annual conference of "Kyiv Dialogue" held in
October and dedicated to the protection of human rights during the armed
conflict, occupation of Crimea and implementation of reforms.
In addition, he said that at their meeting on Wednesday members of the Committee on Human Rights finalized the draft law "On amendments to some laws of Ukraine concerning strengthening of the guarantees to the protection of rights and freedoms of internally displaced persons" No.2166, taking into account the remarks of the President of Ukraine, and recommended that the Parliament adopt it on Thursday as a whole.
In turn, the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for Human Rights Valeria Lutkovska stressed that "at present Ukraine faces the biggest in its history challenges regarding protection of human rights."
"The situation with human rights has clear political and geopolitical nature. The situation is also influenced by the armed conflict. We have come across the new challenges: political kidnapping, torture of prisoners of war and others," said director of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group Yevhen Zakharov, pointing to the problems arising during the implementation of the item of the Minsk agreements on exchange of hostages and prisoners of war, in the format "all for all."
Director of the Center for Civil Liberties Oleksandra Matviichuk drew attention of the present to the new challenges in the field of human rights protection: non-compliance of legal standards to the standards of living over the armed conflict (no amendments have been made to the Criminal Code concerning war crimes, the procedure of searching for missing persons has not been regulated, the status of civil hostages has not been defined); focus on the implementation of the Minsk agreements, which are "not a peace plan, but only aimed at suspension of the armed conflict;" the situation with the protection of rights of citizens of Ukraine staying in the annexed Crimea and in the occupied part of the territory of Donbas; etc.
Denis Matveyev, a representative of the Center of Martti Ahtisaari, which deals with assistance in resolving conflicts worldwide, offered the round-table participants to cooperate in exchange of information and experience concerning human rights protection during armed conflicts.
Following the discussion Hryhorii Nemyria proposed holding committee hearings on the aspects of human rights protection in the context of the Minsk process.