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GENEVA / UKRAINE HUMAN RIGHTS
STORY: GENEVA / UKRAINE HUMAN RIGHTS
TRT: 03:25
SOURCE: OHCHR / FILE
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 09 DECEMBER 2015, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / FILE
09 DECEMBER 2015, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1.Exterior, Palais Wilson
2.Med shot, Gianni Magazzeni looking at computer screen
3.Close up, report
4.SOUNDBITE (English) Gianni Magazzeni, UN Human Rights Chief of the Americas, Europe and Central Asia:
“The most significant new finding is the reduction in civilian and other casualties because of the reduction in fighting on the line of contact between the security operation of the Government of Ukraine and the action of the armed groups. So there has been a ceasefire, the ceasefire is holding.”
4.Med shot, Magazzeni in his office
5.SOUNDBITE (English) Gianni Magazzeni, UN Human Rights Chief of the Americas, Europe and Central Asia:
“Nothing has improved in the East vis a vis the fact that there is no effective protection of any of the rights, people actually not living, in a context where, as I said, parallel structures pretend and purport to provide justice, but there is no real justice there is no rule of law. There is the rule of the gun.”
6.Close up, keyboard and report
7.SOUNDBITE (English) Gianni Magazzeni, UN Human Rights Chief of the Americas, Europe and Central Asia:
“You may be facing abduction, detention, torture and possibly execution in the East simply because you are suspected of having being pro-unitary vision, pro Ukraine. You maybe facing huge consequences vis a vis your wellbeing, your rights simply if there is a suspicion that you are using Ukranian as a language.”
FILE - UNHCR – 2014 – DONESTK – EASTERN UKRAINE
8.Pan right, destruction in Eastern Ukraine Donestk
09 DECEMBER 2015, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
9.SOUNDBITE (English) Gianni Magazzeni, UN Human Rights Chief of the Americas, Europe and Central Asia:
“So the removal of foreign fighters, the removal of weaponry, the reestablishment of the rule of law, the question of enacting legislation that would provide for decentralisation and self governance also in the areas which are currently controlled by armed groups, these are issues that need to be prioritised if we want to see the situation in Ukraine improve.”
10.Close up, hand holding the computer's mouse
11.SOUNDBITE (English) Gianni Magazzeni, UN Human Rights Chief of the Americas, Europe and Central Asia:
“The main recommendation of the report is to try to save lives and to make sure the respect of the ceasefire and avoidance of resumption of conflict will hold.”
Back to back. I think also that the most important second element would be the provisions of Minsk, removal of foreign fighters and removal of weaponry and a movement towards a normalisation of the situation.”
14.Wide shot, Gianni Magazzeni typing
15.SOUNDBITE (English) Gianni Magazzeni, UN Human Rights Chief of the Americas, Europe and Central Asia:
“We hope that there will be a compliance with the provision of that resolution and a reduction of the problem that has resulted in the imposition of Russia legislation in Crimea as well as the imposition of Russian citizenship on individuals that living in Crimea with all the implications that that will have on the question of right to property, right to work, access to social services and the ability to meet, express oneself and yet again with issues of governance, rule of law and human rights that are not in line with international norms.
16.Close up, Magazzeni reading the report
A new UN Human Rights Office report said there has been a reduction of hostilities in the Ukrainian conflict in the past three months, but it has raised concerns about lawlessness in the East of the country, describing it as governed by the “rule of the gun. Not living in line with respect of basic rights but surviving with armed people around imposing their will.”
“Nothing has improved in the East vis a vis the fact that there is no effective protection of any of the rights, people actually not leaving, in a context where, as I said parallel structures pretend and purport to provide justice, but there is no real justice there is no rule of law there is the rule of the gun,” said Gianni Magazzeni, a Senior UN Human Rights Official.
The report which addresses the human rights situation in Ukraine between 16 August to 15 November observed a sharp decline in killings down from 41 people a day last August – September to less than 1 per day in the past three months.
Magazzeni, who heads the Americas, Europe and Central Asia Branch of the UN Human Rights Office said: “Last year we had about 41 people killed every day in the month of August - September, which was one of the highest pick, in terms of casualties, as a result of the situation in Ukraine. Today we would see during the same period an average of less than one.”
The UN Human Rights Office raises concern that a resumption of hostilities could be eminent, if all ceasefire agreement issues are not observed to the letter, particularly in the rebel controlled Eastern part of the country.
Magazenni, in an interview, cited conditions under which civilians are subjected to human rights violations saying:”You may be facing abduction, detention, torture and possibly execution in the East simply because you are suspected of being pro-unitary vision, pro Ukraine. You may be facing huge consequences vis a vis your wellbeing, your right simply if there is a suspicion that you are using Ukranian as a language.”
However, the Office emphasises that for the current ceasefire to hold international norms and standards have to be observed.
The report has a number of recommendations aimed at saving lives as well as prevention of resumption of conflict.
He said, “We hope that there will be a compliance with the provision of that resolution and a reduction of the problem that has resulted in the imposition of Russia legislation in Crimea as well as the imposition of Russian citizenship on individuals that living in Crimea with all the implications that that will have on the question of right to property, right to work, access to social services and the ability to meet, express oneself and yet again with issues of governance, rule of law and human rights that are not in line with international norms.”
For months, pro-Russian separatists have fought Ukrainian forces in two eastern regions of Ukraine but a fragile ceasefire has been agreed by both sides.
Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels signed a truce in Minsk, Belarus’s capital in February this year. The agreement is dubbed the Minsk agreement.
The UN Human Rights Office has been operational in Ukraine since March 2014. This is the 12th report issued by the Office through its Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. It is based on information gathered both in Government-controlled territories and in territories controlled by the armed groups.
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