SESSION III: Responses to Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law (IHRL) During Times of Crisis
In my speech, I would like to emphasize the importance of the work of civil society organizations and their cooperation with international organizations.
Since the beginning of the occupation of Crimea in 2014, the Crimean Tatar Resource Center has been systematically monitoring all violations on the peninsula, and since the beginning of the full-scale aggression, on the newly occupied territories of Ukraine. These reports and analyses serve as an important evidence base for proving the guilt of Russian offenders. The CTRC systematically sends this information to its foreign partners, which they use in their reports and statements.
For example, on April 18, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović published a special report on the situation with the violation of the rights of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people in the occupied Crimea. The CTRC’s information was used in the preparation of this report.
Actually, the Crimean Tatar Resource Center closely cooperated with the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights and her office staff. The CTRC experts have repeatedly participated in thematic meetings, where they spoke about the main trends, dynamics and number of offenses committed on the peninsula during the occupation of Crimea, as well as during the period of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Here is another example of systematic cooperation between civil society organizations and international organizations. On March 17, 2023, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova. It`s also the result of systemic and painstaking work of NGOs, especially of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center.
From the very beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, the CTRC has been monitoring and collecting information about children from the newly occupied territories of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions and systematically communicates with the investigators of the International Criminal Court.
It is very important for international organizations to systematically receive reliable and verified information. We are convinced that our systematic activities will help bring all human rights violators to justice, as well as establish truth and justice.
In addition, I would like to emphasize that Russia is trying to involve many people in the occupied territories in cooperation, and they are also trying to involve them in committing war crimes. As a result, we have a big problem with collaborators. I think that to solve this problem, we need to create a special mechanism for bringing those responsible for crimes to justice.
Thank you for your attention