Ukrainian rights groups appeal to UN over Russian occupation violations

Ukrainian human rights activists have appealed to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights within the framework of the consideration of the next periodic report of Russia at the 78th session in Geneva due to systemic violations of the rights of Ukrainians under occupation.

The corresponding submission was formed by the Regional Center for Human Rights, the Ukrainian Network for the Rights of the Child and the Children's Voices Foundation.

According to the press service of the Regional Center for Human Rights, the submission documents the systemic policy of the Russian Federation aimed at the destruction of Ukrainian identity, culture and way of life.

The human rights activists identified seven areas of violations: deportation, forced displacement and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children to Russian families, destruction of Ukrainian education, militarization and indoctrination of children, appropriation of cultural heritage, use of cultural institutions for propaganda and justification of war, colonization of occupied Ukrainian territories through the resettlement of Russian citizens and mass illegal seizure of private property.

"Such actions violate the norms of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, international humanitarian law and may constitute war crimes," the report states.

Human rights organizations called on the Committee to include the following recommendations in its concluding observations to the Russian Federation: create an international mechanism for the return of all abducted children; stop the militarization and politicization of education; restore access to the Ukrainian language and culture; return stolen cultural values to Ukrainian institutions; stop the colonization of territories by citizens of the Russian Federation; return illegally confiscated property to their owners; implement the ECHR decision and other international obligations regarding Crimea and the war in Ukraine.

Human rights activists also called on the Committee to initiate a resolution of the UN General Assembly condemning the militarization and indoctrination of children, which is a serious violation of the rights of the child during armed conflict.