The U.N. General Assembly adopted an updated resolution addressing human rights violations in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, Ukrinform reported on Dec. 19.
The resolution “The situation of human rights in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol” was supported by 79 countries, with 73 abstentions and 16 votes against.
Those voting against included, as usual, Russia, Belarus, North Korea, China, Iran, Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Sudan, Mali, Zimbabwe, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Cuba and Nicaragua.
The document contains a clear condemnation of Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine, reaffirms Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, and underscores the non-recognition of any attempts to change the status of Ukrainian territories. The General Assembly demands that Russia immediately cease its aggression and withdraw all its troops from Ukrainian territory.
The resolution also expresses concern over Russia’s militarization of the occupied territories, the forced mobilization of local residents, persecution of journalists and human rights defenders, and the destruction of cultural heritage.
The current document has been strengthened with new provisions that explicitly condemn torture, inhuman treatment and other grave human rights violations against Ukrainian prisoners of war and unlawfully detained civilians.
The General Assembly also calls on Russia to ensure unhindered access for international mechanisms to places where Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians are being held.
