Occupation of Crimea has left more than 200 children without parental care

This was discussed at the meeting attended by Iryna Verihina, the Ombudsperson’s representative for the rights of the residents of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Fevzi Karakash, the regional representative in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, and Kherson Team Leader of the SMM OSCE to Ukraine Rafał Jarmużek, Ukrinform reports with reference to the Ombudsperson’s Office.

"Representatives of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission have been informed that more than 200 children have been left without parental care as a result of the temporary occupation of the peninsula. Most parents of these children were convicted on political grounds and now serve their sentences in places of detention in Russia, while others are in pre-trial detention centers," reads the statement.

As noted, the persecution of citizens on religious grounds, including the believers of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Greek Catholic Church, Crimean Tatars, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc. continues in Crimea.

"Also in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, the occupier limited the possibility of receiving a vaccine recognized and certified by the World Health Organization, in connection with which its actions can be regarded as an international war crime. In the territory of the peninsula, the aggressor state provides the opportunity to be vaccinated exclusively by Sputnik V. Ukraine, for its part, has taken measures to provide Crimean residents with certified vaccines on the mainland," Verihina said.

During the meeting, the issues of oppression of the rights and freedoms of the residents of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea by the occupying power, restrictions on the right to move through Ukraine, forced passportization of the population, militarization of the temporarily occupied peninsula, illegal conscription to the occupying armed forces were discussed.

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