Joint Statement of the International Crimea Platform on the occasion of the Resistance Day to Occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol

1. On the occasion of the Resistance Day to Occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol, on 26 February,

2. Having marked the 10th anniversary on 19 February of the temporary occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine (here and after Crimea),

3. Following the establishment of the International Crimea Platform through the Inaugural Summit on 23 August 2021 in Kyiv, as well as its Second Summit on 23 August 2022 and Third Summit on 23 August 2023 in Kyiv, and taking into account the First and the Second Parliamentary Summits on 25 October 2022 in Zagreb and on 24 October 2023 in Prague, and recognizing the outcome documents adopted therein,

4. Recalling all relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly including 68/262 of 27 March 2014 “Territorial integrity of Ukraine”, ES-11/1 of 2 March 2022 “Aggression against Ukraine”, ES-11/2 of 24 March 2022 “Humanitarian consequences of the aggression against Ukraine”, ES-11/4 of 12 October 2022 “Territorial Integrity of Ukraine: defending the principles of the Charter of the United Nations”, ES-11/5 of 14 November 2022 “Furtherance of remedy and reparation of aggression against Ukraine”, ES-11/6 of 23 February 2023 “Principles of the Charter of the United Nations underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine”, all four consecutive resolutions on “Problem of the militarisation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine as well as parts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021), and 78/221 of 19 December 2023 “Situation of Human Rights in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, Including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol”. Further recalling the Council of Europe Committee of Minister’s decision CM/Del/Dec(2023)1477/2.4 on the “Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its consequences for the human rights situation in the Ukrainian territories temporarily controlled or occupied by the Russian Federation” of 4 October 2023, its decision CM/Del/Dec(2022)1437/2.4 “Human rights situation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol (Ukraine)” of 15 June 2022 as well as its previous decisions on the matter,

We, the Participants in the International Crimea Platform:

5. Stand together to commemorate this day which marks the 10th anniversary of the temporary occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine, as a testament to our shared dedication to the principles of international law, including respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence, as well as Ukraine’s inherent right to self-defence against Russia’s unprovoked aggression. We hold those to be indispensable in a rules-based world order.

6. Condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified and illegal full-scale military invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, which was the expansion of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine that has been ongoing since 19 February 2014, and urge the Russian Federation to comply with the legally binding order of the International Court of Justice of 16 March 2022 and to immediately stop any military hostilities and violence and call for the immediate, complete, and unconditional withdrawal of all its forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders, of which Crimea is an integral part.

7. Reiterate that Russia bears full responsibility for the war it has started and all those responsible for war crimes must be held accountable. We consider that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has far-reaching consequences and negative impacts on global peace and security far beyond Ukraine and the European continent.

8. Emphasise our determination to continue our unwavering support to Ukraine and its people concurrently stressing the need to continue our efforts to advance and strengthen our sanctions, and keep up pressure on Russia.

9. Affirm our strong support to Ukraine's Peace Formula, based on the UN Charter, which is the viable framework for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

10. Express our readiness to sustain diplomatic and restrictive measures against the Russian Federation in response to its war of aggression and grave breaches of international law in Ukraine.

11. Will never recognise Russia’s attempted illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol, as well as the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia, which blatantly violates the principles and purposes of the UN Charter and constitutes a direct threat to international security with grave implications for the international legal order. The Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol and Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk regions are Ukraine.

12. Reiterate our condemnation in the strongest possible terms of the so-called “referenda” and so-called “elections”, past and to come, by Russia’s occupying administration in the temporarily occupied Crimea and parts of the Ukrainian regions of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk. These decisions are null and void and cannot produce any legal effect whatsoever.

13. Strongly reject any attempt by Russia to extend its illegal jurisdiction over the nuclear facilities and material in temporarily occupied Crimea and parts of the Ukrainian regions.

14. Express our solidarity with the 2 million inhabitants of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, who in 2014 were torn away from their dream to share with the rest of the country the prospect of a European future, in which freedom, human rights and economic prosperity are cornerstones.

15. Demand an immediate end to politically motivated prosecutions and arbitrary arrests in Crimea and other temporarily occupied or controlled territories of Ukraine. We call on Russia to immediately release all Ukrainian citizens, illegally imprisoned by the Russian occupation authorities in Crimea, including Nariman Dzhelyal, Iryna Danylovych, Leniye Umerova, Bohdan Ziza, Enver Krosh, Vilen Temeryanov, Emir-Usein Kuku, Halyna Dovhopola, Server Mustafayev, Vladyslav Yesypenko, and many others.

16. The rights to freedom of expression, to hold opinions without interference, to freedom of association, to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and to peaceful assembly, should be granted to everyone in Crimea, without discrimination on any grounds.

17. The searches and arrests of Crimean Muslims, as well as the systematic policy of oppression of religious communities incite hatred against the persons belonging to religious minorities and their communities. No individual in Crimea should be criminally charged or detained for practicing their religion or belief. These practices eventually contribute to changing the demographic, including ethnic structure in Crimea.

18. Reiterate our demand to Russia to comply with its obligation under the international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, to which Russia is a party, and to immediately halt its illegal mobilisation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including Crimea.

19. Vehemently denounce the widespread violations and abuses of human rights occurring in Crimea, encompassing, among other things, arbitrary detentions, torture and prejudice directed against minority communities, such as the Crimean Tatars. The Mejlis, the self-governing body of the Crimean Tatars, must be allowed to resume its activities. Additionally, the leaders' sentences that were handed down in absentia must be overturned, and the persecution of these individuals must end.

20. Recall our demands to Russia to release victims of arbitrary detention including on political grounds in Crimea and grant access for established regional and international human rights monitoring mechanisms and human rights non-governmental organisations.

21. Strongly condemn the illegal mobilisation campaign in the temporarily occupied Crimea disproportionately targeting the Crimean Tatars. This constitutes yet another violation of international law by Russia. As a member state of the United Nations and bearing a special responsibility as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Russia is obliged to respect and protect human rights, including in the Ukrainian territories, which it has illegally annexed.

22. Condemn the continued transfers by Russia of its own civilian population to Crimea and other temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine as an unacceptable attempt to change the demographic structure of those regions. This complements the already widespread practice to suppress dissent of Crimean residents following and during Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine, forcing them eventually to leave the Peninsula.

23. Strongly denounce all ongoing attempts by Russia to forcefully and illegally incorporate the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including Crimea into the Russian Federation, in particular the automatic granting of Russian citizenship, population counts, forced demographic changes, and suppression of national identity.

24. Strongly condemn Russia’s decision to turn the temporarily occupied Crimean Peninsula into a heavily militarised outpost in the Black Sea and its use for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine as well as a means to support the attempted illegal annexation of other Ukrainian regions.

25. Demand Russia to stop obstructing the freedom of navigation in the Sea of Azov and Black Sea, causing severe regional and international disruptions, in particular in the agricultural sector of Ukraine and the global food security.

26. Reaffirm our support for the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, with the aim of securing the welfare and prosperity of the Ukrainian nation.

27. Acknowledge the existing and forthcoming challenges and affirm our readiness to intensify political, diplomatic, financial, humanitarian and other forms of support for Ukraine until the full restoration of its sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders.