and customs relief for travellers with EU, regulations still need to be adopted by the Parliament. […] These
measures specifically address the regulatory 11 framework, which is still tarnished by a number of
problematic or outdated legal acts. With regard to the reform of SOEs, profits of the top-100 State owned
enterprises have increased by 38% in 2017".
OHCHR, Press briefing notes on Nicaragua and Ukraine, 1 June 2018
"We call on the Ukrainian authorities to act urgently to protect minority groups, including Roma
communities and LGBTI activists, in the wake of a number of serious acts of violence and harassment
against them in recent weeks.
We are aware of at least four attacks against Roma communities since 21 April.
On the night of 21 April, members of an extreme right-wing group reportedly used rocks and tear gas to
force Roma people living in Kyiv’s Lysa Hora neighbourhood to flee, before setting fire to their homes. On
10 May, more than 30 masked men assaulted several Roma families living in temporary shelters in the
Lviv region of western Ukraine. Again, they forced the inhabitants – five adults and 10 children, including
a two-month-old infant – to leave before setting their homes on fire.
On 22 May, about 15 assailants set a Roma camp on fire in the Ternopil region of western Ukraine. And
last week, on 24 May, in the Kharkiv region, a lawyer representing the families of a person killed and
others injured during a 2017 attack on a Roma settlement in Vilshany village was reportedly violently
attacked and threatened by a local prosecutor and three men wearing military camouflage. They
reportedly beat the lawyer, searched his office and stole money. They also warned him that he would be
killed if he did not drop the case.
To date, no one has been held accountable for any of this violence.
There have also been attacks against other people advocating for the rights of women and LGBTI
individuals, including on 8 March in Lviv and Uzhhorod, on 10 May in Kyiv, and on 19 May in Chernivtsi.
We urge the Government to pay closer attention to the actions of extreme right-wing groups throughout
the country. In a number of cases, they have claimed responsibility for the recent attacks and intimidation
against Roma, as well as the LGBTI community, and individuals promoting gender equality. The attacks,
coupled with widespread social media posts that may amount to incitement to hatred and hate speech
against Roma, the LGBTI community and other minority groups, are indicators of growing intolerance. This
should be immediately addressed to prevent further violence against minorities in Ukraine.
The lack of accountability for attacks against minorities and evictions of Roma in previous years has fuelled
an atmosphere of impunity. We urge the Government to demonstrate zero tolerance by publicly
condemning such acts, by investigating all attacks against minorities, by bringing perpetrators to account
and by guaranteeing the right to non-discrimination and equality."
OHCHR, Human Rights Council holds interactive dialogues on human rights in Ukraine and in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, 27 September 2017
"Minority Rights Group expressed concern over the violent incident undertaken against the Roma
residents in Odesa Oblast. The failure of the Ukrainian authorities to safeguard the basic human rights of
the Roma created a dangerous precedent and undermined the credibility of the Government."
Protection Cluster Ukraine, Ukraine December – January 2017, January 2017
"Tensions have been reported between the local community and Roma IDPs and their host families in
Sheludkivka village, Kharkiv region. Some Roma have reported receiving threatening messages from local
residents and complain of being discriminated against by police and local authorities."
UK Home Office, Country Policy and Information Note – Ukraine: Minority Groups (Version 1.0), January
2017
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