The Board Chairwoman of the Crimean Human Rights Group, Olha SKRYPNYK, tells on
the air of HROMADSKE RADIO about the year of 2024 for the Crimean Human Rights
Group.
Yelyzaveta TSAREHRADSKA: Discussing 2024 and its affect and efficiency for the
Crimean Human Rights Group, how would you define it, how was it?
Olha SKRYPNYK: For us it was another tough year of our lives and work, as for a long time now
it [the human rights protection] has ceased to be just a job. Still there are some results which
are not about work only, but the human rights protection movement in general. By that it is
meant that at the national level the group on the civil hostages has been currently operative,
which is now a part of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War,
for instance. We hope this year would be, let’s put it this way, more coordinated concerning
the issues of the return of our civilians who are now captive of russian federation.
There is an international track which has started since February 2024, many human rights
organizations have joined thereto. In particular, at our level we have made plenty submissions
to different institutions, including the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on
Ukraine at the end of the year.
The human rights defenders and we [the CHRG] among them joined the recent Resolution by
the UN General Assembly adopted in December. Now the resolution is about not only occupied
Crimea, but all occupied territories. There are many important decisions, including by the
European Court of Human Rights, to which not only the state institutions have contributed
since 2014, but there is a great input by the human rights organizations which worked back then
when regrettably the investigation at the national level was lacking, especially in 2014-2015.
Therefore, there are the achievements, but, unfortunately, the problem of the state aggressor
remains which has detrimental impact on the lives of those who suffered from the aggression
