A right is not what someone gives you;
it’s what no one can take from you.
Ramsey Clark
Everyone has the right to stand by one’s belief, express their personal opinion and follow their principles. This right is enshrined in international law, as well as in the constitutions of all countries in the world.
Article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.”
Article 19 provides for: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”
Unfortunately, there were the times when blood was shed in our homeland for dissidence. Political repression broke the fate of millions of Soviet citizens.
Political repression is defined as various coercive measures used by the state for political reasons, in the form of deprivation of life or freedom, compulsory treatment in psychiatric hospitals, expulsion from the country and deprivation of nationality, forced eviction of groups of people from their places of residence, exile, deportation to special settlement, forced labor in confinement, as well as other deprivation or restriction of rights and freedoms.
On October 30 the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repression is observed. This day was officially approved by the Resolution of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR of October 18, 1991 “On the Establishment of a Remembrance Day of the Victims of Political Repression.”
Today, the Government of the Russian Federation makes every effort to rehabilitate the victims of political repression, restore their civil rights, eliminate other consequences of arbitrary actions and to provide due compensation for material and moral damage suffered.
Unfortunately, the government of Ukraine does not learn from the mistakes of the past. It is often reported on illegal detention of citizens by the Security Service of Ukraine, as well as secret prisons, and cases of torture. And we hear more and more words of hatred towards Donbass people, who just want to live in peace and follow their principles. Many residents of Ukraine are also being persecuted for disagreeing with the official policy of Kiev authorities.
The post of the Human Rights Ombudsman was established in the Donetsk People’s Republic to ensure the state protection of citizens’ rights and freedoms, to prevent any form of discrimination regarding the exercise of their rights and freedoms.
Citizens can apply to the Ombudsman in any suitable way. Now, the majority of applications are still verbal and submitted through personal reception either with the Ombudsman or the heads of the Office, addressing the Public Complaints and Appeals Department, via hotlines and via web-reception on the Website of the Ombudsman. There is a possibility to file a written complaint that may be submitted either in person or via e-mail. Since 2017 the Ombudsman received 5047 appeals. In the period of work between 28 October and 3 November 2017, 26 persons have visited the Ombudsman in person, 37 claims were accepted by the Appeals department 43 calls were made via hotlines. 5 applications were received via e-mail, 3 written appeals were taken into consideration, 7 – have been reviewed among those received earlier, 22 persons have been given legal assistance.
All appeals received can be divided into four categories: violations in criminal law – 292 appeals, violations in civil law– 586 appeals, administrative and legal violations against the DPR citizens – 10 appeals, social and humanitarian issues – 4159 appeals (diagram 1).
The number of appeals (complaints, applications) from citizens, submitted to the Office of DPR Ombudsman as of 03.11.2017
Violations in criminal law
Violations in civil law
Administrative and legal violations against citizens
Issues of social and humanitarian affairs
- Statistics and analysis of destroyed infrastructure objects
Targeted shelling by Ukrainian forces causes destruction of private property and infrastructure – this is the reality of the front-line regions of the Donetsk People’s Republic.
As of September 28, 2017 more than 11413 infrastructure objects were partly destroyed (damaged) as a result of hostilities.
More than 6845 objects have been destroyed in Donetsk, 268 units in Debaltsevo, 528 units in Gorlovka, 91 units in Dokuchayevsk, 312 units in Yenakievo, 91 units in Zhdanovka, 75 units in Kirovskoye, 1113 units in Makeyevka, 56 units in Snyezhnoye, 122 units in Torez, 750 units in Khartsysk, 75 units in Shakhtyorsk, 582 units in Yasinovataya, 278 units in Amvrosyevka region, 3 units in Volnovakha region, 24 units in Maryinka region, 17 units in Novoazovsk region, 57 units in Starobeshevo region, 93 units in Telmanovo region, 33 units in Shakhtyorsk region.
Destroyed objects by branches:
– 6247 houses;
– 770 power lines and points of distribution of electricity;
– 176 heating supply facilities;
– 52 water supply facilities;
– 2669 gas supply facilities;
– 14 wastewater and sewerage facilities;
– 102 healthcare facilities;
– 519 general educational institutions (schools, kindergartens);
– 59 vocational and technical educational institutions;
– 62 higher educational institutions;
– 26 physical and sport education institutions;
– 55 cultural institutions;
– 241 road and transport infrastructure objects;
– 63 industrial objects;
– 89 trade objects;
– 269 objects in other spheres.
According to the official data as of 3 October, 2017 there are 2837 objects of governmental and communal ownership damaged, 666 – rebuilt and 2171 – are to be rebuilt.
- Estimates of mortality, wounds to civilians and soldiers as a result of hostilities in the territory of the Donetsk People`s Republic.
Almost every day the DPR Ombudsman’s Office records cases of violations of Donbass citizens’ rights by Kiev authorities: right to life, to security of the person, to inviolability of the home.
On 27 October during the shelling against Petrovskiy region of Donetsk, a man born in 1969 fell and sustained an injury of the left shoulder joint. Another man born in 1992 died of injuries.
On October 28 in Makeyevka, Zelyoniy District, a civilian woman born in 1998 and a man born in 1981 sustained mine-blast traumas as a result of an explosion of an unidentified object, near the last bus stop. A man born in 1987 sustained traumas and multiple shrapnel wounds as a result of detonation of an explosive device in another part of the District.
Within the period between 27 October and 2 November, 2017, 3 persons sustained injuries in the territory of the DPR as a result of constant shelling from Ukraine. Among them, there were 1 woman and 2 civilian men.
Within the period between January 1 and November 2, 2017, 529 persons sustained injuries of various severities in the territory of the DPR. Among them, there were 312 DPR servicemen and 217 civilians, including 12 children under 18.
Within the period between 27 October and 2 November, 2017, 4 persons died in the territory of the DPR as a result of shelling. Among them there were 3 DPR servicemen and one civilian man born in 1992, who died as a result of shelling in Petrovskiy region of Donetsk.
Within the period between January 1 and November 2, 2017, 247 persons, including 218 servicemen and 29 civilians died in the Donetsk People’s Republic, including an underage child.
To be specific, since the beginning of the armed conflict 4536 persons died. Among them, there were 605 women and 3931 men, including 75 children under eighteen.
Officially confirmed information on individuals, who have been wounded since the beginning of the conflict continues to be reported to the Ombudsman’s Office in DPR. The information is being processed at the moment and it will be included into general statistics of the injured individuals.
- Register of the prisoners of war, missing soldiers
and civilians
Official Kiev does everything possible to delay the exchange process under flimsy pretexts. In fact, both sides are ready to exchange prisoners, but the representatives of Ukraine persistently refuse to release 58 people, whom we requested.
“To date, there are no well-reasoned obstacles for performing the exchange. Both sides are ready to release the detained persons, but we cannot come to agreement due to the lack of political will of the Ukrainian authorities. I want to remind you that the fate of each person means the fates of many families. There are people who have been imprisoned for more than three years. Earlier the Ukrainian side insisted that it was not possible to perform exoneration, now there are no such problems. For many, the judicial examination lasts for two – two and a half years, but there are still no court decisions. My proposal is to perform the exchange under the formula “all established for all established”. This was brought forward at the TKG meeting, where representatives of the Republics were supported in the idea of holding the exchange as soon as possible.
I once again remind the Ukrainian authorities that there are only civilians among those persons whom we request for the exchange; there are no terrorists and criminals, unlike those requested for the exchange by the Ukrainian side. They came to kill Donbass residents. Nevertheless, we are ready to release their people, as soon as they choose to perform the exchange under the formula “all confirmed for all confirmed,”- said Daria Morozova.
This week two appeals on arrest were received by the Ombudsman’s Office in the Donetsk People’s Republic. A woman born in 1988 went missing on 19.10.2017 as she crossed the delimitation line in “Yelenovka” checkpoint heading to Mariupol.
It was also reported about a man born in 1976, who was detained earlier. Now he is convicted under Part 1 Article 258, Part 1 Article 263. He is serving his sentence in Dnepropetrovsk penitentiary institution No. 4.
Based on the updated figures as of 06.10.2017, 464 persons are kept by the Ukrainian side including:
– 252 of those whose presence on the territory of Ukraine had been confirmed. The Ombudsman’s Office was reported that two persons have served their sentence and released, one persons was acquitted.
– 209 persons whose whereabouts are unknown or are being clarified by the Ukrainian side.
– 3 persons were requested from the Ukrainian side for the first time.
This week no appeals on missing persons were received by the Ombudsman’s Office in the Donetsk People’s Republic.
As of 06 October 2017, 509 persons are considered missing. Hypothetically, they might be in Ukrainian captivity.
- Register of forcibly displaced persons.
Temporary Accommodation Centres (TACs) have been opened in the Donetsk People’s Republic. Any person can receive temporary accommodation there if they need it. 1166 IDPs now live in temporary accommodation of the Office, including 223 underage children. Since the beginning of the conflict 5233 referrals for temporary accommodation have been issued, 339 of them – in 2017. All the TACs are under the DPR Ombudsman’s inspection. The staffs of the Office monitor the TACs on a weekly basis, with the view to respond promptly to the citizens’ needs. The Ombudsman makes every effort to improve social and living conditions for people who live in the TACs.
During the period of work between 28 October and 3 November, 2017, 35 persons have applied to the Ombudsman’s Office on the issues related to internally displaced persons, one of them was accommodated in the TACs of the Ombudsman`s Office in Donetsk.
There are currently 1400 housing spots available for IDPs. Among them: 1400 – in DPR Temporary Accommodation Centres (including TACs of Ombudsman`s Office); 502 – in TACs of the Ombudsman`s Office.
It is necessary to remind that there are 7781 persons, including 2003 children under the age of eighteen registered since the beginning of the conflict. 64 temporary settlements have been established within the territory of DPR, 56 of them operate today, 8 of them are held in reserve.
Currently, 2756 individuals live in the centres, including 527 underage children, 5025 persons live in the housing fund of DPR, including 1476 children under eighteen.
- Employment of DPR citizens
The Republican Employment Centre is the main institution responsible for providing jobs to the population.
According to their data, 36.9 thousands of vacancies were available in the common database as of 03.11.2017. As of November 3, 2017, there were 46.9 thousand individuals who seek for job, registered in the Republic Employment Centres. Among them: 39.1 thousand have been employed (22.1 of them – on permanent positions, 17.0 – temporarily).
Donetsk Centre of Vocational Education of The Republic Employment Centre organises regular free public workshops to train practical skills, such as work with personal computers; technique and mechanization of trade accounts (work with cash register machines); the program “1C: Accounting 8.2.”; fundamentals of entrepreneurship; processing and decoration of textile and clothing products etc. Since the beginning of 2017, 344 persons participated in those workshops.
