RUSSIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER SAYS EU SANCTIONS UNDERCUT RIGHTS DIPLOMACY

By: TASS

Photo: COE

Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatiana Moskalkova has said EU sanctions undercut rights diplomacy that helped people. She made the remark in comments on her being sanctioned by the EU.

“These actions are in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and all other international legal acts on human rights. They also undercut democratic dialogue and human rights diplomacy that allowed us to really help people. There’s little choice but to express regret that the humanitarian bridges that were so painstakingly built by commissioners have been burned in favor of the current political situation,” Moskalkova told TASS.

She noted that she, as the Russian human rights commissioner, was actually denied the right to personally convey to the European commissioners her human rights position, fight for the rights of Russians, including the right to free movement, the right to use their native language, their property, freedom of speech, etc.

The commissioners said she believes that the imposition of sanctions against the institution of the Russian human rights commissioner is further evidence of the impotence of the United States and the EU countries, and their interest in escalating the conflict. She noted that economic sanctions against Russia, which were aimed at reducing the standard of living of Russians, causing chaos and protests in the country, did not have an effect. Similarly, sanctions aimed at banning Russian culture, demonstration of Russia’s achievements in sports, science and education, and professional journalistic activity, which “helped to convey reliable information to people in the West about the genocide of the inhabitants of the DPR and LPR,” didn’t achieve their aims.

“Gentlemen from the EU are riled by truth about the genocide of Donbass residents and Crimeans over many years, about the torture and abuse of Russian servicemen, about the fate of 5 million people who fled to Russia from Ukrainian bombing and shelling. Therefore, they are doing everything possible to prevent the citizens of the EU countries from hearing the truth,” Moskalkova added.

The European Union on Saturday imposed the 10th package of sanctions on Russia, placing restrictions on Russian Human Rights Council Valery Fadeyev, surgeon Leonid Roshal, head of the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation Yevgeny Primakov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Moscow Region Vyacheslav Dukhin and Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatiana Moskalkova.