Zur Dokumentation der Menschenrechtssituation in den selbsternannten »Volksrepubliken« Donezk und Luhansk veröffentlichen die Ukraine-Analysen hier den Newsletter Review of Human Rights Violations in Occupied Donetsk and Luhansk Regions der ukrainischen NGO VOSTOK-SOS (press@vostok-sos.org). Er wird im Rahmen eines Kooperationsprojektes mit dem Deutsch-Russischen Austausch (DRA e. V.) ermöglicht und vom Auswärtigen Amt gefördert. Bei den im Newsletter vertretenen Ansichten handelt es sich nicht um die offizielle Position des Auswärtigen Amtes. Wir danken VOSTOK-SOS und dem DRA für die Erlaubnis zum Nachdruck.

Die Redaktion der Ukraine-Analysen

Review of Human Rights Violations in Occupied Donetsk and Luhansk Regions

MAY, 2018

In May, 2018, the new facts of human rights violations were identified in certain districts of Luhansk and Donetsk regions, controlled by the armed groups of so-called “LPR” and “DPR”: illegal detentions, restrictions of freedom of movement of civilians, obstruction of the activities of international organizations, involvement of schoolchildren into the events with propagandistic aims, coercion of the residents of so-called “LPR and DPR” to join “civil society organizations”, development of parallel legal system and violation of property rights. Unfortunately, all these human rights violations have become a “norm” for residents of the territories of so-called “people’s republics”.

1. Illegal arrests, detentions and restriction of freedom of movement

The occupation government of the Russian Federation in the occupied Luhansk and Donetsk regions limits the freedom of movement via so-called “curfew” at night time. At the same time, raids are periodically conducted to identify “offenders”. Thus, during the nights of May 25th–27th, the so-called “police” of the occupation administration detained 373 people for violating the curfew during the “Night city” police operation.

On May 3, 2018, it was reported by the occupation administration of the Russian Federation in the occupied Donetsk region that Viktor Mykolayovych Dzytsyuk, a citizen of Ukraine, born in 1988, was detained “on suspicion of spying in favour of the Ukrainian special services”. It is reported that the detainee allegedly carried the explosives into the territory of the so-called “DPR” and “collected, analysed and passed data, that undermine the security of DPR, to Ukrainian special services, and took part in organization of terrorist attacks in the territory of the DPR”. The detainee faces a penalty from 12 to 20 years of imprisonment.

On May 3, 2018, Semen Kuzmenko, the “Minister of Transport of the DPR” in the occupation administration of the Russian Federation in the occupied Donetsk region in 2014–2016, was detained by employees of the so-called “Ministry of Revenue and Dues” in the yard of his house. As he informed on his Facebook page, he was released a day after.

On May 5, 2018, an inhabitant of Luhansk was detained by the agents of the so-called “Ministry of State Security (MSS) of LPR” on the “Stanytsia-Luhanska” entry-exit checkpoint with a large party of amphetamine allegedly obtained from the Ukrainian secret services in Kyiv. The name of the detainee is not specified.

On May 17, 2018, it was reported by a local inhabitant that the occupation administration of the Russian Federation in the occupied Luhansk region forbade the employees of the so-called “district state administrations” and “city councils” to leave the territory of the “LPR”. The ban concerns the area over the control of Ukraine, as well as trips to Russia.

On May 28, 2018, two teenagers were detained by the so-called “patrol of MIA of the LPR” in the territory of the occupied Luhansk region, controlled by the Russian occupation administration—in Luhansk near the “Okolitsya” market. It was stated in “vKontakte” social network, that the children had Ukrainian state symbols. The teenagers were sent over to the staff of the so-called “MSS of LPR”.

2. Development of parallel legal system, advocacy, notary, courts

Russian occupation administrations and controlled media continue to inform local residents of the occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as the world public, about the “state bodies” activities and the results of such “work”. It should be noted that this activity has no legal basis and the main aim is to demonstrate the so-called “sovereignity” of the “republics”.

In these areas, the newly created so-called “Ukrainian People’s Tribunal for the Investigation of Poroshenko Regime War Crimes Against the Citizens of Ukraine” (“UPT”) continued its activity in May.

On May 21, 2018, Sergei Kozhemyakin, the “prosecutor”, demanded “life imprisonment for the president of Ukraine and his accomplices for crimes against the people of Donbass” at a meeting of the so-called “UPT”.The so-called “Council of Ministers of the LPR” and the MPs of the “People’s Council of the LPR” reported their activities in May.

On May 5, 2018, two laws were adopted by the “MPs” of the so-called “People’s Council of the LPR”: “On Amendment to Certain Legislative Acts of the Luhansk People’s Republic” on the termless appointment of judges and the extension of group of possible applicants for this post and “On Export Customs Duty”.

On May 15, 2018, the so-called “Council of Ministers of the LPR” amended the resolution “On Approval of Rules for Market Trade”.

On May 25, 2018, the so-called “Council of Ministers of the DPR” adopted a resolution “On Amendments to the Temporary Provisional Procedure for Providing the Land Plots on the Territory of Donetsk People’s Republic for Permanent Usage and Rent, approved by Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Donetsk People’s Republic of September 2, 2015 No17-15” of November 6, 2017 No14-61.

On May 29, 2018, the “presentation of a license to international transportation of dangerous goods to the State Innovation Company” took place in the so-called “Ministry of Transport of the DPR”.

3. Coercion for membership in “civil society” organizations and participation in “patriotic” and “social” actions of “LNR” and “DNR”. Involvement of children in propaganda

Military-patriotic propaganda and involvement in participation in “civil society” organization are actively spread among children, adolescents and youth on occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, controlled by the Russian Federation’s occupation administrations. The employees of budget enterprises and enterprises with so-called “external management” are actively enlisted in “civil society” organizations.

Children of school and preschool age in the military uniform of the Red Army of 1941–1945 and modern periods were involved in the events during the celebration of the USSR victory in the Great Patriotic War on areas under control of the Russian occupation administration in the occupied Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

Such an events took place on May 7, 2018, in Perevalsk, near the “Sorrowful Mother” monument, and during the concert and the so-called “Immortal Regiment” march on May 9, 2018, in Luhansk.

Children are actively involved in sport “military-patriotic” games. Thus, more than 150 schoolchildren of Bryanka schools took part in “Zarnitsa-2018” city military sport game in the middle of May. The “Victory” two-day military sport game started in Stakhanov on May 17, 2018.

The dangerous items are available for children and cause injuries and deaths due to uncontrolled import of weapons and ammunition into the territory controlled by the Russian occupation authorities of the occupied Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

Thus, on May 22, 2018, the No1 bus exploded on Kurchatov street in Debaltseve. One person was killed and two were wounded. A fourteener was carrying a grenade in his backpack, which fell out and exploded on the bus, according to local inhabitants.

On May 25, 2018, an RGD-5 grenade was found in a garbage dump by two teenagers, 12 and 11 years old, in Horlivka. The children pulled a grenade pin while playing. After the specific sound, they realized that it will explode, threw it aside and lay down. The children are alive. The splinter was removed from the cheek of one of the teenagers, the boy is on the out-patient treatment. The second child is in the hospital, he has splinter wounds of the back and sacrolumbal spine.

4. Violation of property rights

In May 2018, the process of so-called “nationalization” of enterprises that had previously operated under the jurisdiction of Ukraine or belonged to the citizens of Ukraine, who live in the territory controlled by Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict, continued in the territories of “LPR”. The process of “searching for the owners” is widespread.

In May 2018, 11 announcements on the search of real and personal property owners was posted by he so-called “state revenue committee” of “LPR”.

It should be noted that applications from owners are accepted within 60 days from the date of the announcement. Otherwise, the enterprises will pass under the control of the “republic”.

Quelle: <http://www.civicmonitoring.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/HR_May_2018_En.pdf>