UNGA adopts resolution on human rights violations in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories
As reported by an Ukrinform correspondent in New York, 79 countries voted in favor, 16 against, and 73 abstained.
Countries opposing the resolution included Russia, Belarus, South Korea, China, Iran, Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Sudan, Mali, Zimbabwe, Burundi, CAR, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Cuba, and Nicaragua.
The resolution addresses human rights conditions across all territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied by Russia and calls for strengthened monitoring of systemic abuses by the Russian occupation authorities against local populations.
The document explicitly condemns Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine, reaffirms Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders, and rejects any attempts to alter the status of Ukrainian territories. The UN General Assembly demands that Russia immediately cease its aggression and withdraw all troops from Ukraine.
The resolution expresses serious concern over the militarization of occupied territories, the forced conscription of local residents into the Russian armed forces, the persecution of journalists, human rights defenders, and civil society representatives, and the destruction of cultural heritage, including in Crimea.
This year’s document includes new provisions explicitly condemning torture, inhumane treatment, and other gross human rights violations suffered by Ukrainian prisoners of war and unlawfully detained civilians. It draws on findings of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Russia’s crimes, confirming cases of enforced disappearances and torture both in occupied territories and within Russia itself.
The resolution also condemns Russia’s systematic refusal to provide information on the fate and whereabouts of kidnapped or detained Ukrainians, calling for immediate disclosure of such data.
Specifically, the UN General Assembly urges Russia to guarantee unhindered access for international mechanisms, including the ICRC, to places where Ukrainian POWs and civilians are held, ensure proper medical care, conduct full prisoner exchanges, and release all unlawfully detained individuals, including Crimean Tatars, civilians, political prisoners, and journalists.
The Assembly recalls the UN Secretary General’s warning regarding Russia’s potential inclusion on the “shame list” for conflict-related sexual violence. Russia has already been listed for three consecutive years as a “gross violator” for killing and maiming Ukrainian children and attacking educational and medical facilities in Ukraine.
The UNGA resolution on human rights in Crimea has been adopted annually since 2016 and includes new provisions each year. Since 2023, the document covers all temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
As previously reported by Ukrinform, on December 15, Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the UN Andrii Melnyk presented the updated resolution to the General Assembly.
