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STORY: GENEVA / UKRAINE HUMAN RIGHTS
TRT: 2.49
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 16.MAY 2014, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
FILE – RECENT, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Wide shot, Palais des Nations
16 MAY 2014, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
2. Wide, Press room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Gianni Magazzeni, Chief of the Americas, Europe, and Central Asia Branch at the OHCHR:
“We're talking about issues that have to do with intimidation, harassment attacks on journalists, abduction, unlawful detention, killings, torture, especially in the areas that are in the control of armed groups that are undertaking a number of unlawful activities.”
4. Close up, journalist
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Gianni Magazzeni, Chief of the Americas, Europe, and Central Asia Branch at the OHCHR:
“We're talking about now 7,200 IDPs mostly Crimean Tartars that have left Crimea and relocated in other parts of Ukraine. The numbers in our report which we issued on 15th April talked about three thousand a few hundreds so you could say that there has been already an increase of 100 per cent from last month to this month of IDPs from Crimea.
6. Med shot, table of journalists
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Gianni Magazzeni, Chief of the Americas, Europe, and Central Asia Branch at the OHCHR:
“We are concerned about the situation on the ground, what is the impact of those armed groups being able to seize public buildings and occupy them and eventually have a way to intimidate or terrorize or attack journalists or unlawfully detain individuals that are in the territories where they do control those public buildings.”
8. Med shot, journalist typing
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Gianni Magazzeni, Chief of the Americas, Europe, and Central Asia Branch at the OHCHR:
“Often they start as peaceful demonstrations and then there seems to be armed group that interfere with those demonstrations and that may be result in violence or killings or worse as we have seen in Odessa. Those matters are to be thoroughly investigated, they are serious because they have a huge impact on individuals and of course the High Commissioner has always been very strong in reiterating the right for individuals to peacefully demonstrate but of course not to resort to violence in anyway.”
10. Med shot, interns, Press room
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Gianni Magazzeni, Chief of the Americas, Europe, and Central Asia Branch at the OHCHR:
“I think we're looking at the human rights situation, the human rights concerns, the human rights violations, unlawful acts that are being undertaken and affect the lives of individuals vulnerable ones as well as the ordinary population and I think that is what we are trying to indicate to you in this report that the situation especially in the East is a matter of concern to us. The High Commissioner has in her press release gone as far as to say that there are some who seem to be bent on tearing the country apart.”
12. Med shot, journalist typing, Press room, Palais des Nations, Geneva.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said Friday that a new UN report produced by her 34-strong monitoring team in Ukraine shows “an alarming deterioration in the human rights situation in the east of the country, as well as serious problems emerging in Crimea, especially in relation to the Crimean Tatars.”
She called on “those with influence on the armed groups responsible for much of the violence in eastern Ukraine to do their utmost to rein in these men who seem bent on tearing the country apart.”
The 36-page report is the second to be produced by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission, based in five Ukrainian cities, since it was deployed by the High Commissioner for Human Rights in March. It covers the period from 2 April to 6 May.
The report makes a number of observations and recommendations relating to the programme of legal reforms under way in the country, including expressing concerns about the “Law on the restoration of the credibility of the judiciary in Ukraine” which entered into force on 10 May.
Speaking to journalists in Geneva, Gianni Magazzeni, Chief of the Americas, Europe, and Central Asia Branch at the OHCHR said “We’re talking about numerous specific examples of targeted killings, torture and beatings, abductions, intimidation and some cases of sexual harassment.”
The report also notes cases when the State Security Service and army units operating in the east have been accused of killing individuals and of being responsible for forced disappearances. “Security and law enforcement operations must be in line with international standards and guarantee the protection of all individuals at all times,” the report says, adding that “Law enforcement bodies must ensure that all detainees are registered and afforded legal review of the grounds of their detention.”
The report draws particular attention to the deteriorating climate facing the media in eastern Ukraine. “Journalists, bloggers and other media personnel either based in the region, or visiting, are facing increasing threats and acts of intimidation, including abduction and unlawful detention by armed groups,” the report states, noting allegations that “at the check-points of Slovyansk, there are lists of journalists and others that the armed group is seeking, with photographs and personal data.”
The High Commissioner urged all Ukrainian political leaders to avoid any actions that would further inflame the situation, noting that the country’s population should be allowed to vote on their future in a peaceful and secure environment during the elections scheduled for 25 May.
