On 9 July 2024, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braže, delivered a statement on behalf of the Nordic countries and the Baltic States at the United Nations Human Rights Council, underscoring the grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law perpetrated by Russia.
“Persecution of journalists and representatives of civil society, politically motivated sentencing, arbitrary detentions, torture, forced conscription – that is an unacceptable reality faced by the people of Ukraine,” Baiba Braže emphasised.
The Foreign Minister condemned Russia’s appalling war tactics – the weaponisation of sexual and gender-based violence and an unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children.
The Minister also drew attention to Russia’s efforts to eradicate the Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian languages, identity and cultural heritage through indoctrination and assimilation, which further exposes the imperial nature of its war of aggression.
Baiba Braže underlined that Russia must ensure safe and unhindered access for human rights monitoring mechanisms to all temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including to prisoners of war.
“Russia must be held fully accountable for international human rights violations,” Baiba Braže emphasised.
Russia’s massive missile strike on Kyiv, on Monday 8 July, including the bombing of the Ohmatdyt children’s hospital, is yet another reminder to the world of Russian brutality, aggression and atrocity. Russia’s actions must not go unpunished, and Russia must be held accountable in every possible international format.
Background information
The statement delivered on behalf of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden was presented in a video format as part of an interactive dialogue on the Report on the Human Rights Situation in Ukraine by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the interim report of the Secretary General on the situation of human rights in Crimea at the 56th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
The 56th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council is taking place in Geneva, Switzerland, from 18 June through to 12 July 2024.