NYFCPA strongly opposes and deplores Russia’s unprovoked and unlawful attack in Ukraine.
This conflict has resulted in and will result in widespread abuses of human rights.
NYFCPA endorses the appeal for an urgent debate on the situation during the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council, which begins on February 28, 2022, in Geneva.
That discussion should explicitly denounce Russia’s violations of international law, including international criminal law, international human rights law, and the United Nations Charter.
The debate should lead to the adoption of a resolution which, at a minimum:
- Demands the establishment of a body, such as a Commission of Inquiry, to monitor and report on the situation in Ukraine, as well as to promote responsibility for violations (including the crime of aggression, atrocity crimes, and other human rights breaches);
- Authorizes the appointment of a special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Russia. There is a clear link between domestic repression of civil society, attacks on journalists, a lack of a free and independent press, severe restrictions on freedom of expression, and the spread of disinformation on the one hand, and Putin’s ability to wage an aggressive war with extremely limited checks, balances, and accountability on the other.
- Calls on the General Assembly to suspend Russia’s membership in the Human Rights Council as a consequence of its flagrant and systematic abuses, as well as its evident violation of the UN Charter and non-cooperation with UN procedures.
We stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and all those who fight for human rights.
