HRC51 - NB8 statement - ID w High Commissioner on the oral update on Ukraine EE

Human Rights Council – 51st session

Item 10 - Interactive Dialogue with the High Commissioner on the oral update on Ukraine

Nordic-Baltic Statement, delivered by Estonia

4 October 2022

Mr President,

Estonia fully aligns with the statement delivered by the European Union. We thank the Acting High Commissioner for the update.

Russia´s brutal war of aggression in Ukraine has lasted 7 months. Russia bears full responsibility for the war and for the immense suffering its aggression is bringing upon the Ukrainian people.

Russia´s continued mass displacement of Ukrainians enables the exploitation of the vulnerable, allowing systemic and barbaric sexual and gender-based violence and trafficking of women and girls. Russia tramples on Ukrainian children. Overwhelming evidence of forced transfers of unaccompanied children to Russia, granting them Russian citizenship to facilitate their adoption in Russia, is a gross violation of human rights and international humanitarian law.

In Crimea, after calls for mobilization, Russians hunt for Crimean Tatars to cowardly send them to fight in their war.

As we heard from the International Commission of Inquiry earlier during this session – Russian forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine. The future is clear. All atrocities by Russian forces will be investigated, all perpetrators held accountable.

To conclude, we will never recognize Russia’s illegal sham “referenda” in Ukraine’s occupied territories and do not and will never recognize the attempt of the annexation.

Madam Acting High Commissioner, what more can the international community do to help to monitor and document the gross and massive human rights violations committed by the Russia in Ukraine?