Statement of the Indigenous Peoples in connection with the full-scale military aggression of Russia against Ukraine
On February 20, 2014, the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine, as a result of which the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, the birthplace of the indigenous Crimean Tatar, Karaite and Krymchak peoples, were occupied, as well as certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
On February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As a result of rocket attacks on Ukrainian settlements, thousands of civilians were killed – representatives of different ethnic groups and confessions, including hundreds of children.
Representatives of the indigenous peoples of Ukraine are dying under bombs, rockets and bullets from the Russian military. Representatives of the indigenous peoples of Russia and the occupied territories of Ukraine are dying in this war, forced to sign contracts with the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, as they were thrown into poverty by Putin’s regime.
We, representatives of the indigenous peoples of Ukraine and Russia:
– express support to the Ukrainian people in the fight against Russian aggression;
condemn;
– the barbaric and unprovoked war unleashed by Putin’s regime against the peoples of independent Ukraine,
– persecution and repression against the indigenous peoples, both on the territory of Russia and on the territories of Ukraine occupied by the Russian Federation;
– russian organizations of indigenous peoples that have publicly supported Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine and its indigenous peoples;
– pay special attention to the violation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, in particular Art. 30, which prohibits any military activity on the lands of indigenous peoples without their free, prior, and informed consent, including the conscription of representatives of the indigenous peoples of Russia and Ukraine into the ranks of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation;
– call for the creation of an independent international commission to study and prepare a report on the impact of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine on the indigenous peoples of Russia and Ukraine;
recommend
– the Human Rights Council to establish the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of indigenous peoples in situations of interstate conflict;
– include the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the list of standards of the Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights Council;
– develop a UN humanitarian response plan to protect the rights of indigenous peoples affected by Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine.
Signatures:
- Dordzho Dugarov, Buryat Democratic Movement
- Pavel Sulyandziga, International Fund for Development and Solidarity of Indigenous Peoples Batani
- Tian Zaochnaya, Itelmen, International Committee of Indigenous Peoples of Russia
- Dmitry Berezhkov, Information portal Russia of Indigenous Peoples
- Erentzen Doolyan, Congress of the Oirat-Kalmyk people
- Eskender Bariiev, Crimean Tatar Resource Center
- Liudmyla Korotkykh, Crimean Tatar Youth Center
- Zarema Bariieva, Committee for the Protection of the Rights of the Crimean Tatar People
- Olena Arabadzhi, Head of the National-Cultural Karaite Society Dzhamaat
- Andrey Danilov, Saami, International Committee of Indigenous Peoples of Russia
- Yana Tannagasheva, Shor, International Committee of Indigenous Peoples of Russia
- Vladislav Tannagashev, Shor, International Committee of Indigenous Peoples of Russia
- Irina Shafrannik, Selkup, International Committee of Indigenous Peoples of Russia
- Vladimir Dovdanov, Deputy Chairman of the Congress of the Oirat-Kalmyk People
- Nikita Andreev, Sakha democratic movement
- Galina Angarova, Buryat people