Thread by @MFAestonia

1/9 Estonia is concerned by the human rights situation in #Crimea.

Remarks by @MFAEstonia 🇪🇪 Undersec for Political Affairs @realPaulTeesalu at @UN Security Council Arria-Formula meeting on #humanrights situation in #Crimea & Sevastopol 🇺🇦

⬇️ See thread ⬇️

#EstoniaUNSC

2/9 #Russia’s actions in Crimea are part of the Kremlin’s broader campaign to destabilize Ukraine.

We are concerned about the human rights situation in #Crimea. According to reports by human rights defenders, the situation continues to deteriorate.

3/9 Since the outset of its occupation of the peninsula, #Russia has drastically curtailed the freedoms of assembly, expression, association, access to information, and religion.

4/9 Members of religious communities, in particular Crimean Tatar Muslims, have become targets for illegal persecution, searches, interrogations, detention & forced disappearances.

We call upon #Russia to reverse these acts & end the oppression of Crimean Tatar community.

5/9 We are disturbed by the data presented in the Secretary-General’s report showing that the Russian Federation has resettled 140,000 Russian citizens to the territory of occupied Crimea.

About 50 000 Crimean Tatars have fled the peninsula.

6/9 Consequently, #Russia is changing the demographic composition of the occupied Crimea, violating international law, which does not permit the occupying state to purposefully alter the ethnic composition in the affected territories.

7/9 Since its occupation of the peninsula, #Russia has extended there its military presence on a massive scale. More than 18,000 men have been conscripted.

Russia must stop conscripting people in Crimea & fully abide by its obligations under the #Geneva Conventions.

8/9 We, the international community, must bear witness to #Russia’s human rights violations in occupied Crimea.

We call on 🇷🇺 authorities to grant unimpeded access to the peninsula to independent international organisations & mechanisms seeking to monitor on the ground.

9/9 We recall our unwavering support to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity and independence of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders and call on Russia to act likewise.

#EstoniaUNSC #CrimeaisUkraine