STATEMENT BY HUMAN RIGHTS ACTORS

Over the past two years, the Committee for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and its office have been subject to regular attacks by representatives of extremist and neo-Nazi groups, who, due to the government’s connivance, have developed their activities in the city in recent years. For example, in April 2009, the committee’s premises were attacked at night, and its facade was painted with anti-Semitic and xenophobic slogans and images. This year, unknown individuals tried to set fire to the organization’s front door. Damage and theft of the committee’s sign on the facade has become a common occurrence for members of the organization. Calls for violence against members of the Committee for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and its clients are constantly being published by unknown individuals on various extremist and right-wing Internet resources.

This event once again proves that the committee’s statements about the continued activities of extremist and racist groups in the region are true. During the time of the previous police leadership, statements and appeals to law enforcement agencies on this issue did not lead to any positive results.

Now we are observing the desire of the leadership of the city and regional Ministry of Internal Affairs to establish contact and cooperate on such painful issues as combating racist groups in the region. We could observe this, in particular, on December 10, 2010, when, during a round table on the occasion of International Human Rights Day, representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs supported the efforts of the Committee for the Prevention of Racism and Xenophobia in the Chernihiv region.

We believe that this case will be an opportunity to verify the words of the police officers. We once again appeal to law enforcement agencies to begin their activities in accordance with the instructions of the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine to prevent the activities of groups that promote interethnic and racial hatred.

We appeal to the public of the region with a request to support human rights defenders in their efforts to stop manifestations of racism and xenophobia in the Chernihiv region.

We appeal to representatives of national-cultural societies and national minorities of the region with a request to contact us if they and their members are persecuted by racists and do not receive proper protection.

Only together will we be able to overcome the cancerous tumor of racism in Ukraine.