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I don't think that would be wise. "In Ukraine, the freedoms of religion and the press are deeply intertwined with the issue of minority rights, specifically wi

I don't think that would be wise. "In Ukraine, the freedoms of religion and the press are deeply intertwined with the issue of minority rights, specifically with the treatment of the country’s largest minority, Russophile Ukrainians—those who identify with Russian heritage, be it through language, culture, history, or religion. The vast majority of Russophile Ukrainians refuse to categorize themselves as a minority. They see themselves simply as Ukrainians citizens, and as such, they argue, they have a constitutional right to speak any language and espouse any religion or culture that they wish, not just the ones endorsed by the state. But Ukrainian law does not recognize Russians as indigenous to Ukraine, or even as a minority within Ukraine. They therefore have no claim to legal protection of their cultural heritage and language, a direct contradiction of Article 10 of the Ukrainian constitution. .... A 2021 law fines the use of Russian in the service sector, while other laws have targeted Russian-language media, books, films, and music, even when they are produced in Ukraine. One way or another, according to Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, “the Russian language must completely disappear from our territory, it being an aspect of hostile propaganda and the brainwashing of our population.” The tensions surrounding minority rights will only be exacerbated further once the war is over. As part of its accession negotiations with the European Union, in 2022, Ukraine passed a law outlining the rights of national minorities, but it specifically exempted Russian speakers from protection during the period of martial law and five years thereafter. Although the EU had asked that this latter period be shortened, the final version, recently signed into law, while significantly expanding minority language rights for official languages of the EU, eliminates them entirely for Russian. ... One thing that seems certain, however, is that the populations of eastern and southern Ukraine, Russophile or not, will not take kindly to being made the scapegoats for this conflict and denied civil and political rights en masse. The extent of what is being contemplated by Ukrainian lawmakers is staggering. According to Tamila Tasheva, Zelensky’s representative in Crimea, if it were liberated tomorrow, at least 200,000 residents of Crimea would face collaboration charges, and another 500,000 to 800,000 residents would face deportation. Refat Chubarov, the chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatars, says that more than 1 million people—more than half the current population—will have to leave “immediately.” ... <...>Datsyuk said, "<...>the government regards as its enemy not only Russia proper, but also those whom it has labeled “incorrect Ukrainians.” This has created a situation in which, as Ukrainian political commentator Andrei Zolotaryov has noted, “a significant part of the citizenry is in internal emigration and does not consider the state to be theirs. This is a very big problem in a country waging war.”" [0] https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/12/18/ukraine-russia-war-civil-rights-freedom-speech-religion/ https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/12/18/ukraine-russia-war-civi...

wumeow 2y ago
Yes, Ukraine is under invasion by your country and are taking drastic steps to limit your country's influence, especially given your country's history of supporting separatism in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. > But Ukrainian law does not recognize Russians as indigenous to Ukraine, or even as a minority within Ukraine. Even a majority of the non-Russian-speaking people in Ukraine wouldn't qualify as indigenous according to the law. It only applies to a small number of ethnic groups like the Tatars.[0] Also, "The vast majority of Russophile Ukrainians refuse to categorize themselves as a minority" so why should the law? > They therefore have no claim to legal protection of their cultural heritage and language, a direct contradiction of Article 10 of the Ukrainian constitution. Ukraine is currently under martial law due to the invasion. Article 64 lists the articles of the constitution that can't be suspended in this situation and Article 10 is not one of them.[1] > According to Tamila Tasheva, Zelensky’s representative in Crimea, if it were liberated tomorrow, at least 200,000 residents of Crimea would face collaboration charges, and another 500,000 to 800,000 residents would face deportation Your country has been moving its citizens into Crimea ever since it was annexed 10 years ago. Again, given your country's history of provoking separatism[2], I wouldn't blame Ukraine for doing this. > Refat Chubarov, the chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatars, says that more than 1 million people—more than half the current population—will have to leave “immediately.” Even the indigenous groups don't want you guys there. Meanwhile, let's check in on how the Ukrainians in occupied territory are doing[3]: > Artem Petrik lived under Russian rule in occupied Kherson; he says there is no room for dissent in “Novorossiya” or “New Russia”, as these territories are called by the Kremlin, mirroring the situation in mainland Russia. "Everyone was in danger, no one was safe”, says Petrik. “The primary targets were the families of Ukrainian soldiers, police officers, judges, journalists, teachers, and of course scientists, primarily historians. If you want to support or demonstrate Ukrainian identity, you will have big problems: imprisonment, death, torture.” Natalia Rudych describes how tightly the Russian army controlled her city of Melitopol. “Markets were guarded by FSB personnel and soldiers. They would stop and check people whenever they wanted”, she remembers. “Many people were simply abducted in the middle of the street. You could be walking down the street, and you could be taken away without any explanation and driven in an unknown direction. Many acquaintances who were taken have not been located to this day. And this was happening very frequently.” > Former Kherson policeman Anton Lomakin was imprisoned for four months when Russia took over the city. Lomakin says he was tortured in detention. “They simply took the bottom of the T-shirt up on my head, like a mask, completely covering my face. Three or four people stood aside and held my arms and legs. One of them took the water… a six-litre plastic bottle, and slowly started pouring this water on my face”, he remembers speaking from the town of Odesa, where he now lives > Zasherynska says she witnessed the transfer of children from the nearby Oleshky state care home, which in October 2022 was one of the orphanages from which Russian forces reportedly took children and moved them to Crimea and into Russia. “Everything happened in front of my eyes”, she remembers. “How they were taking out children on the boats- packed boats, one after another. Big buses were waiting, and police surrounded the quay in Oleshky to make sure there were no strangers around. They were meeting these children and taking them to Crimea. > Access to property in occupied Ukraine is limited to Russian nationals, which the Kremlin justifies for security reasons. Those who flee occupation know that in most cases, they will lose forever all they can’t take with them. Natalia Rudych watched helplessly from Kyiv the video stream of security cameras on her building showing a car pulling up and people entering her home in Melitopol. “They took everything from the house. Everything that could be taken was taken. We spent fifteen years building that house, thinking we were building it for a lifetime.” She claims she has since heard from her former neighbours that both her house and her business were taken over by FSB personnel, and that her property has been resold several times …and so on and so on. Ivan, go home. [0] https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2021-08-02/ukraine-new-law-determines-legal-status-of-indigenous-people/ https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2021-08-02/ukr... [1] https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Ukraine,_2004 https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Ukraine,_2004 [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Sloviansk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Sloviansk [3] https://investigations.news-exchange.ebu.ch/russification-in-occupied-ukraine/index.html https://investigations.news-exchange.ebu.ch/russification-in...

wumeow 2y ago

Yes, Ukraine is under invasion by your country and are taking drastic steps to limit your country's influence, especially given your country's history of supporting separatism in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. > But Ukrainian law does not recognize Russians as indigenous to Ukraine, or even as a minority within Ukraine. Even a majority of the non-Russian-speaking people in Ukraine wouldn't qualify as indigenous according to the law. It only applies to a small number of ethnic groups like the Tatars.[0] Also, "The vast majority of Russophile Ukrainians refuse to categorize themselves as a minority" so why should the law? > They therefore have no claim to legal protection of their cultural heritage and language, a direct contradiction of Article 10 of the Ukrainian constitution. Ukraine is currently under martial law due to the invasion. Article 64 lists the articles of the constitution that can't be suspended in this situation and Article 10 is not one of them.[1] > According to Tamila Tasheva, Zelensky’s representative in Crimea, if it were liberated tomorrow, at least 200,000 residents of Crimea would face collaboration charges, and another 500,000 to 800,000 residents would face deportation Your country has been moving its citizens into Crimea ever since it was annexed 10 years ago. Again, given your country's history of provoking separatism[2], I wouldn't blame Ukraine for doing this. > Refat Chubarov, the chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatars, says that more than 1 million people—more than half the current population—will have to leave “immediately.” Even the indigenous groups don't want you guys there. Meanwhile, let's check in on how the Ukrainians in occupied territory are doing[3]: > Artem Petrik lived under Russian rule in occupied Kherson; he says there is no room for dissent in “Novorossiya” or “New Russia”, as these territories are called by the Kremlin, mirroring the situation in mainland Russia. "Everyone was in danger, no one was safe”, says Petrik. “The primary targets were the families of Ukrainian soldiers, police officers, judges, journalists, teachers, and of course scientists, primarily historians. If you want to support or demonstrate Ukrainian identity, you will have big problems: imprisonment, death, torture.” Natalia Rudych describes how tightly the Russian army controlled her city of Melitopol. “Markets were guarded by FSB personnel and soldiers. They would stop and check people whenever they wanted”, she remembers. “Many people were simply abducted in the middle of the street. You could be walking down the street, and you could be taken away without any explanation and driven in an unknown direction. Many acquaintances who were taken have not been located to this day. And this was happening very frequently.” > Former Kherson policeman Anton Lomakin was imprisoned for four months when Russia took over the city. Lomakin says he was tortured in detention. “They simply took the bottom of the T-shirt up on my head, like a mask, completely covering my face. Three or four people stood aside and held my arms and legs. One of them took the water… a six-litre plastic bottle, and slowly started pouring this water on my face”, he remembers speaking from the town of Odesa, where he now lives > Zasherynska says she witnessed the transfer of children from the nearby Oleshky state care home, which in October 2022 was one of the orphanages from which Russian forces reportedly took children and moved them to Crimea and into Russia. “Everything happened in front of my eyes”, she remembers. “How they were taking out children on the boats- packed boats, one after another. Big buses were waiting, and police surrounded the quay in Oleshky to make sure there were no strangers around. They were meeting these children and taking them to Crimea. > Access to property in occupied Ukraine is limited to Russian nationals, which the Kremlin justifies for security reasons. Those who flee occupation know that in most cases, they will lose forever all they can’t take with them. Natalia Rudych watched helplessly from Kyiv the video stream of security cameras on her building showing a car pulling up and people entering her home in Melitopol. “They took everything from the house. Everything that could be taken was taken. We spent fifteen years building that house, thinking we were building it for a lifetime.” She claims she has since heard from her former neighbours that both her house and her business were taken over by FSB personnel, and that her property has been resold several times …and so on and so on. Ivan, go home. [0] https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2021-08-02/ukraine-new-law-determines-legal-status-of-indigenous-people/ https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2021-08-02/ukr... [1] https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Ukraine,_2004 https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Ukraine,_2004 [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Sloviansk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Sloviansk [3] https://investigations.news-exchange.ebu.ch/russification-in-occupied-ukraine/index.html https://investigations.news-exchange.ebu.ch/russification-in...