COMBATING RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA

As Mr. Ediev noted: “Already today, the press and the local population are creating an incorrect attitude towards foreigners. Refugees, asylum seekers and “illegal immigrants” for ordinary citizens are identical concepts and are most often associated with various infectious diseases.”

Dmytro Plechko, Legal Advisor to the Office of the High Commissioner

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Ukraine presented the draft “Concept of the State Migration Policy of Ukraine” with comments from UNHCR, and also revealed the principle of non-refoulement and provided statistics on the granting of refugee status in Ukraine over the past 10 years.

Dmytro Groysman, coordinator of the Vinnytsia Human Rights Group, made a report on the topic “Freedom

of expression and “hate speech” in the decisions

of the European Court

of Human Rights”. In his speech, Mr. Groysman highlighted the foundations of the European Convention on Human Rights of 1950, identified

the main principles of the work and application of the mentioned international act in the context of freedom of expression and opinion. It was also noted that sometimes freedom of expression can conflict with the right to a fair trial, the right to respect for private life and the right to freedom of conscience and religion.

The participants of the event had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights in cases related to xenophobia and racism.

Maksym Butkevych, a representative of the Initiative “Without Borders”, noted that during the period 2006-2007, the number of attacks on people due to their distinctive appearance, primarily those indicating foreign origin or belonging to other ethnic, racial, religious, or subcultural groups, increased in Ukraine. The attacks have become more brutal and systematic, usually carried out by organized groups of young people. These trends are just some of the signs that an environment that adheres to xenophobic, racist, and often neo-Nazi ideas has finally taken shape in Ukraine.

The participants in this environment are guided by these ideas in their activities, using extreme methods, and spread them

primarily among the youth.

All the above facts aroused keen interest among representatives of the judicial corps of Chernihiv region.

The project is implemented with the support of the Democracy Fund of the US Embassy in Ukraine