Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights reports to OSCE Permanent Council: UK response, 24 March 2022
UK Ambassador Neil Bush thanks ODIHR Director Mecacci for the Office's work to highlight the terrible human cost of Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Thank you Mr Chair. I’d like to join others in welcoming Director Meccaci to the Permanent Council. He joins us at a particularly grave time for human rights and international humanitarian law in the OSCE.
Director Meccaci, Matteo, I am very grateful to you and your staff for the work of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to highlight the terrible human cost of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Sadly that cost has only continued to rise as we have seen millions of people displaced and thousands of civilians killed or wounded in fighting. We have seen truly appalling cases of Russian military attacks on evacuation corridors, apartment blocks, hospitals and buildings where civilians were taking shelter. Russia’s use of indiscriminate force against innocent civilians, in its illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, amounts to war crimes, for which President Putin and the Russian government must be held accountable.
We also share ODIHR’s increasing concern at the impact of Russia’s invasion on Ukraine’s democratic institutions. Last week, I drew attention to reported abductions and abuse of Ukrainian activists, human rights defenders, volunteers, journalists, health-care workers and government representatives in the areas of Ukraine under control of the Russian army. The United Kingdom condemns those responsible for such acts. Gross violations of Ukraine’s democratic sovereignty cannot be tolerated. Local politicians and civil society actors are fundamental to a democratic society and it is contemptible that Russia has taken steps against them.
In the face of such appalling violations of human rights by Russia in Ukraine, impartial human rights monitoring and gathering of facts matters now more than ever. We are grateful to ODIHR for their work to monitor developments and assess the situation as it unfolds. The fact-finding work of the independent experts launched under the Moscow Mechanism and supported by 45 participating States and Ukraine will also be of critical importance in this regard.
Since Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine, the Russian authorities have escalated their crackdown on dissenting voices in Russia. Russia has arrested nearly 15,000 anti-war protestors and has brought in further repressive legislation, criminalising the dissemination of information about the Russian armed forces that the authorities deem to be ‘fake’. These actions show total disregard for Russia’s commitments on freedom of expression and media freedom that it willingly entered into as an OSCE participating State. The Russian government will ultimately fail in their efforts to hide the truth from the Russian people.
We also note with dismay that Alexey Navalny was recently sentenced to a further nine years in prison on the basis of politically motivated charges. We call again for his immediate release.
Mr Chair, Director Mecacci, Whilst Russia’s illegal attack on Ukraine is, and should remain, the absolute priority of this Permanent Council, it is important that we also reflect - positively - on the wider work of ODIHR, and of its dedicated and professional staff. It is good to see so much of their excellent work summarised in the 2021 annual report.
Although it seems an eternity ago, we must also remember that we commemorated last year the 30th anniversary of ODIHR. It allowed us to recall the many historic successes of an institution whose work has always stressed the importance of human rights, democracy and the rule of law in achieving sustainable and comprehensive security in the OSCE region.
ODIHR has made, and continues to make, a tangible, positive difference to many people across the OSCE region. We especially value ODIHR’s election observation work. The expertise gained through more than 400 election observation missions is invaluable, and ODIHR’s impartial and fact based approach to election observation remains an essential asset for the OSCE, and for all participating States.
Director Mecacci, the tragic events in Ukraine, caused by Russia’s aggression, only reinforces the truth that lies at the heart of the OSCE’s acquis and ODIHR’s work. We see clearly how internal repression, and the absence of genuine democracy, go hand in hand with external aggression.
Set against the current tragic backdrop, the UK will remain unwavering in our support for ODIHR’s work across the acquis of the OSCE’s human dimension. We offer ODIHR, and your staff, our steadfast support as you continue with your invaluable work.