The situation with observing human rights and preserving cultural property in Russia-occupied Crimea continues to deteriorate, according to a report prepared by the UNESCO Director-General in response to the decision of the UNESCO Executive Board “Follow-up of the situation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Ukraine)).”
The Ukrainian Ministry for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons reported on Sept. 15 that UNESCO’s report covers the period from January to June 2017 and shows that Russia has been pursuing a systemic policy of marginalization and persecution of those who disagree or actively oppose the occupation of Crimea.
According to the report, the most vulnerable groups suffering from human rights violations, including those within the scope of UNESCO mandate, are the Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians due to the policy of intolerance and discrimination pursued by the occupying authorities on the grounds of ethnic origin and religion.
“The education in and of the Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian languages is disappearing in Crimea due to massive compulsory ‘re-education’ of secondary and high school personnel for teaching in Russian as well as through direct and indirect pressure on school administrations, teachers, parents and children to discontinue teaching in and of this languages, which further limit the presence of the Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian culture on the peninsula,” reads the report.
The report also notes that the volume and activity of illegal movement of Ukrainian cultural values from Crimea to Russia has grown significantly.
“In the absence of external monitoring and supervision, the illicit trafficking of Ukrainian cultural property from Crimean museums for exhibitions has assumed ever-alarming proportions. The atmosphere of impunity created by the occupying state due to the total absence of transparency leads to further growth of human rights violations in Crimea and results in depriving the Crimean population of the values promoted by UNESCO and widely accessible before the occupation,” the report says.
