Human rights NGOs: UN should exert gentle pressure on Ukrainian government

Ukraine’s human rights organizations are planning to encourage UN member states to put pressure on Ukraine to improve the human rights situation in the country.  At a press conference in Kyiv on Monday, Arkady Bushchenko, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union explained that a coalition of 40 Ukrainian NGOs have sent the UN 12 shadow reports on different aspects of human rights.  The reports highlight, for example, failings in judicial reform which the NGOs are convinced make judges even less independent; selective prosecution of political opponents and other human rights violations.

The human rights organizations are called on the UN to exert gentle political pressure. They stress that they should not be regarded as enemies of the country and are not against Ukraine, but against the corrupt political and law enforcement body elite. 

Ukraine first reported to the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) 4 years ago, and the next report is scheduled for October this year. The OHCHR will thus be able to see the human rights situation in Ukraine as presented by Ukraine’s Government, and by the Coalition of Human Rights Organizations.

Arkady Bushchenko: “The review will result in recommendations from the Human Rights Council.  This is, of course, “gentle law” – nobody’s going to send troops here to establish order in Ukraine, I would hope. However Ukraine, as the last review showed, will nonetheless take what the Human Rights Council says into account.

The English versions of the following reports will be posted in the next few days.

Property rights

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Palliative Care-ukr

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Gender-ukr

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Education-ukr

Ecological Rights-ukr

Discrimination-ukr

Child’s Rights-ukr

Right_to_life-ukr

SER and Disabled-ukr1