The International Renaissance Foundation deplores the violation of human rights on the grounds of ethnicity of Ukrainian citizens of the Roma origin who suffered pogroms and forced eviction in the village of Loshchynivka, Odessa region.
Statement by the International Renaissance Foundation
The International Renaissance Foundation deplores the violation of human rights on the grounds of ethnicity of Ukrainian citizens of the Roma origin who suffered pogroms and forced eviction in the village of Loshchynivka, Odessa region. The outbreak of violence in Loshchynivka was accompanied with an illegal decision of the village council and inadequate reaction by the regional authorities and the law enforcement bodies to the mob law used by some village residents against the others. Today the Roma families that have nothing to do with the crime, and their young children, are forced to seek shelter and livelihood elsewhere.
For over 20 years, the International Renaissance Foundation has supported civic initiatives aiming at inclusion of Roma into the life of the society. We are convinced that Roma communities have made progress in addressing issues of education, access to justice, social integration and cultural development, despite the difficult years of Ukraine’s transformation. Roma youth obtain university degrees in humanities and law and go for vocational training. Educated and professional Roma have implemented an internationally recognized model of social mediation between their communities and the public social and healthcare institutions. We know that the results are recognized and appreciated by the authorities and broader communities where this kind of engagement of the Roma takes place and receives support.
The inclusion of Roma communities in the public life requires more effective engagement of the government at all levels. Lack of local democratic governance, weak and corrupt law enforcement system and its inability to deal with antisocial actions of individuals create – along with discrimination, harassment and barbaric prejudices in the society – social grounds for tragedies such as the one in Loshchynivka.
The crime that triggered the situation in Loshchynivka – the brutal murder of a child – must be impartially investigated. The suspect can be only judged guilty by the court. We demand that the authorities ensure the right of all victims to a fair trial. However, the burden of responsibility for the tragedy also lies with the police and those of the authorities whose own inaction and failure to ensure security and public order enabled both the crime and the pogroms and mobbing innocent people.
We support the timely statement by the Ombudsman Office, which clearly urged that any discrimination on the grounds of ethnic origin is unacceptable. It is also unacceptable for the head of the region to humiliate an entire ethnic group in an effort of self-justification of the authorities. The weak governance is unacceptable when instead of legal conflict resolution and preventing mob rule the authorities indulge even more lawlessness by radical groups that take on the functions of the court and set their own order.
In a democratic state, the absence of open criminal proceedings on the facts of pogroms and unlawful eviction of Ukrainian citizens in the presence of the video evidence and numerous pieces of testimony is an unprecedented case of neglect of the law. If this display of lawlessness is not stopped, in addition to significant loss of confidence in the government domestically it will be a strong reason for criticism of Ukraine by international organizations, human rights defenders, and the international media.
The facts of the persecution on ethnic grounds cast a shadow on reform efforts throughout the country and contradict the ideals of the Maidan revolution of dignity. Collective lawlessness indicates unacceptable weakness of governance. This undermines the image of Ukraine as a European state that is able to defend human dignity and implement democratic reforms.
We demand that the political leadership of Ukraine clearly and publicly deplores the mass human rights violation that occurred in the multi-ethnic region, and takes all necessary measures to restore the public order and international confidence in the state.
