22 November 2024

The UN General Assembly Adopted a Draft Resolution on Human Rights in the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine

On November 20, the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly adopted the updated draft resolution “The Human Rights Situation in the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol.” The document became the first in UN history to explicitly refer to the actions of the Russian Federation against Ukraine as a “war of aggression against Ukraine.”

According to Ukraine’s Permanent Mission to the UN, the document provided a detailed account of human rights violations in the occupied territories.

The General Assembly adopted a draft resolution aimed at protecting and returning deported Ukrainian children. The document calls on the Russian Federation to cease the forced removal of children from Ukraine and to provide comprehensive information to relevant UN bodies and international organizations. This includes a list of all deported children, particularly those whose legal status was unlawfully changed, adopted, or placed under the guardianship of foster families. The resolution also demands all possible measures to ensure the safe return of these children to Ukraine.

For the first time, this year’s resolution includes provisions in which the UN General Assembly strongly condemns the torture and other forms of ill-treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war, including cases of sexual violence. The document further urges the Russian Federation to grant international organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), access to places of detention, ensure proper medical care for prisoners, and facilitate a complete exchange of prisoners of war. The resolution mentioned the names of political prisoners from Crimea: Emir-Usein Kuku, Halyna Dovhopola, Server Mustafaiev, Vladyslav Yesypenko, Asan ta Aziz Akhtemovy, Iryna Danylovych, Bohdan Ziza, Enver Krosh, Vilen Temerianov, Mariano Harsiia Kalataiud. This year, the list was expanded to include the names Seiran Saliiev, Oleh Prykhodko, and Osman Arifmemetov.

Russia, for its part, is attempting to obstruct the adoption of the resolution by employing disinformation, propaganda, and economic pressure. Its goal is to reduce the number of votes in favor. Ukraine is actively countering these efforts by disseminating accurate information about the situation in the occupied territories.

The final vote on the resolution will be held in December during the General Assembly’s plenary session. The Ukrainian side continues to work toward securing international support for the document.