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Sitting of the Committee in charge of human rights, national minorities and interethnic relations

22.12.2003    source: www.rupor.org

The Committee in charge of human rights, national minorities and interethnic relations conducted the sitting «On application and execution of the Law «On refugees»». The participants listened to the speech delivered by Yu. Sukhov, a deputy of the head of the State Committee in charge of nationalities and migration. MPs and representatives of the organs of executive power, such as the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Security Service of Ukraine, etc., took part in the discussion.

Head of the Committee Gennadiy Udovenko declared that, because of the peculiarities of the geopolitical position of Ukraine, our country was situated in the very center of modern migration flows. Giving the refugee status and rendering aid to the persons, who were acknowledged as refugees in Ukraine, is one of the main directions of the state policy. As early as in 1993 the first Law «On refugees» was adopted, which gave the opportunity to protect 5200 persons from the persecutions. This fact had a positive effect on the international image of Ukraine. 2900 out of these 5200 persons live in Ukraine now.

In order to agree the provisions of the Law «On refugees» with the norms of international right, new version of the Law was prepared. The Supreme Rada of Ukraine approved this version on 21 June 2001.

The UNO committee of human rights appreciated this normative act and pointed out the high level of reforming the national legislation in this sphere. Ukraine ratified the UNO Convention on refugees’ status of 1951 and the Protocol of 1967.

More than two years of practical application of the new edition of the law revealed a number of drawbacks, which were noticed not only by the corresponding state organs of Ukraine, but also by the Directorate of the UNO Supreme Commissar in charge of refugees. The Directorate expressed its position concerning some norms of the Law in a separate document.

Taking into account the information prepared by the State Committee of Ukraine in charge of nationalities and migration and the speeches of MPs, members of the Committee and representatives of the central organs of executive power, the Committee took the following decisions:

-  the information of the State Committee of Ukraine in charge of nationalities and migration should be taken into account;

-  the State Committee of Ukraine in charge of nationalities and migration should consider the position of the Directorate of the UNO Supreme Commissar in charge of refugees concerning the temporary restrictions on handing the appeals about the status of refugee (three days after the crossing the frontier. – Editor’s note);

-  the Committee in charge of human rights, national minorities and interethnic relations should turn to Prime-Minister of Ukraine V. Yanukovich with the request to consider the position of the Directorate of the UNO Supreme Commissar in charge of refugees and to introduce the corresponding amendments to the Law of Ukraine «On refugees».

Secretariat of the Council of Ukrainian human rights protecting organizations

 

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