A delegation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine took part in the ninth meeting of the EU-Ukraine Human Rights Dialogue

A delegation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine took part in the ninth meeting of the EU-Ukraine Human Rights Dialogue.

The purpose of the meeting, which took place on April 25, 2024, was to exchange information on measures taken by Ukraine to ensure European human rights standards in all areas of public policy, as well as to familiarize with EU human rights innovations in the light of the official screening of legislation and preparation for negotiations.

The first part of the meeting was devoted to the discussion of violations of international human rights and humanitarian law as a result of russia's large-scale invasion and armed aggression.

In her speech, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Kateryna Pavlichenko informed about systemic violations of international humanitarian law by russia, in particular about more than 117,000 criminal proceedings on the facts of crimes related to the armed conflict in Ukraine, which were initiated by the National Police of Ukraine. The facts of torture, illegal detention and ill-treatment of prisoners were also emphasized. In particular, the National Police has identified 101 places where russians illegally detained and tortured citizens. Kateryna Pavlichenko emphasized that among the prisoners of war are employees of the State Emergency Service, who, in accordance with the provisions of the Geneva Conventions, are not combatants, and therefore have the status of civilian hostages held by the russian federation in violation of international humanitarian law.

"Numerous violations of international humanitarian law are evidenced, among other things, by mass graves discovered in the de-occupied territories," Kateryna Pavlichenko noted and emphasized that law enforcement efforts were aimed at properly documenting and investigating each crime in order to bring the perpetrators to justice.

This requires joint efforts at both the national and international levels. The National Police has been fruitfully cooperating with Europol's Analysis Project Core International Crimes (AP CIC).

The Deputy Minister also drew attention to the results of the activities of the Department for Persons Missing in Special Circumstances, which operates within the Ministry of Internal Affairs as the Secretariat of the Commissioner for Persons Missing in Special Circumstances. Thus, the Office ensured the filling of the Unified Register of Persons Missing in Special Circumstances, which currently contains information on more than 37,000 people.

The EU side expressed its admiration for the courage of Ukrainians and reaffirmed its unwavering support for the Government of Ukraine, including its readiness to unite international efforts to bring russia to justice, and informed about the 13th package of sanctions, which includes 106 individuals and 88 legal entities.

During the second part of the meeting, the parties discussed the approximation of national legislation to EU norms in terms of protecting the rights of national, ethnic, religious and other minorities, children, gender equality, combating discrimination, freedom of speech and preventing human rights violations by law enforcement officers.

Representatives of the MIA delegation updated information on the implementation of projects to introduce the Custody Records system, Driving School for Persons with Disabilities, and Safety of the Educational Environment.