One year ago, on 18 March 2014, the international community was witness to the most insolent since the Second World War violation of international law – the forceful annexation by the Russian Federation of Crimea, an integral part of the territory of the Ukrainian state.
The United Nations, in the resolution Territorial integrity of Ukraine adopted by the General Assembly on 27 March 2014 on the illegal so-called “referendum” in Crimea held on 16 March 2014, declared:
6. Calls upon all States, international organizations and specialized agencies not to recognize any alteration of the status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol on the basis of the above‑mentioned referendum and to refrain from any action or dealing that might be interpreted as recognizing any such altered status.
The Russian invasion of Crimea has led to numerous gross violations of the fundamental human rights and freedoms of Ukrainians, Crimean Tatars, Jews and other residents, who publicly oppose the occupying authorities, a fact supported by the recently released report by the Atlantic Council of the United States and Freedom House titled Human Rights Abuses in Russian-Occupied Crimea.
With armed activities on the territory of Crimea, the Russian Federation began its military aggression against Ukraine that it continues in Eastern Ukraine, blatantly violating the norms of international law including the UN Charter, the 1975 Helsinki Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe Final Act on the territorial integrity of states, the 2004 Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, and the Minsk agreements of 5 and 19 September 2014, and 12 February 2015.
“The Ukrainian World Congress, The World Congress of the Crimean Tatars, and the Association of Jewish Organizations and Communities of Ukraine resolutely condemn the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and its aggressive acts against Ukraine which are a direct threat not only to Ukraine, but to peace and stability in Europe,” declared Ukrainian World Congress President Eugene Czolij, The World Congress of the Crimean Tatars President Refat Chubarov and Association of Jewish Organizations and Communities of Ukraine Co-Presidents Josef Zissels and Andrew Adamovsky. “We call upon the international community to promptly strengthen its targeted sanctions against the Russian Federation and to concretely and effectively assist Ukraine defend its independence and territorial integrity which includes Crimea.”
