MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on 11th year of the occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation and the deteriorating human rights situation in occupied Crimea, notably the cases of Iryna Danylovych, Tofik Abdulhaziiev and Amet Suleymanov

B10‑0233/2024

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on 11th year of the occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation and the deteriorating human rights situation in occupied Crimea, notably the cases of Iryna Danylovych, Tofik Abdulhaziiev and Amet Suleymanov

(2024/2992(RSP))

The European Parliament,

− having regard to its previous resolutions on Crimea,

– having regard to rule 150 of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the Russian Federation violated international law by encroaching on the territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty of Ukraine with the occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol in 2014;

B. whereas Crimeans continue to experience severe human rights violations, unlawful conscriptions to the Russian army,  forced passportisation, arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, torture, extrajudicial killings, the absence of freedom of opinion, assembly, association, religion and forced alteration of the demographic composition of the peninsula;

C. whereas the Russian Federation is implementing a deliberate policy aimed at forcibly altering the demographic composition of Crimea, primarily along ethnic lines, which constitutes a war crime under international law;

D. whereas there are over 218 Crimean political prisoners in Russia, 133 of them are Crimean Tatars, 67 political prisoners experience severe health problems, many require immediate medical assistance;

E. whereas Iryna Danylovych a Crimean journalist and human rights defender was abducted in 2022, accused of possessing explosives and subsequently sentenced to 6 years and 11 months of imprisonment; whereas Tofik Abdulhaziiev, NGO activist, was arrested in 2019 and sentenced to 12 years in a maximum security prison on trumped up charges, and since 2023 he is serving his sentence in a prison in Russia some 2700 km away from Crimea; whereas Amet Suleymanov is a citizen journalist who in 2021 was sentenced to 12 years of prison;

1. Demands that the Russian Federation immediately ceases its war of aggression against Ukraine, the first step of which was the occupation of Crimea, and unconditionally withdraws all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders and end all violations of human rights therein;

2. Demands the immediate and unconditional release of Iryna Danylovych, Tofik Abdulhaziiev and Amet Suleymanov and other political prisoners;  calls for their  serious medical conditions to be properly addressed; demands that all those responsible for the inhumane conditions of their detention to be held accountable;

3. Calls on the international community to continue not recognising the attempted annexation of Crimea; demands an investigation into all cases of human rights violations in the occupied territories of Ukraine since 2014, to bring all responsible to justice, and strengthen sanctions against individuals and legal entities involved in the attempted annexation of Crimea;

4. Demands the international community to contribute to achieving a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace based on the Peace Formula as proposed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; supports Ukrainian diplomatic efforts to keep the issue of the de-occupation of Crimea by diplomatic means high on the international agenda, such as the Crimean Platform;

5. Instruct its President to forward this resolution to the VP/HR, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the President, Government and Parliament of Ukraine and the Russian Federation.