News

On 31 March the Permanent Mission of Lithuania to the United Nations organized an informal meeting of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, in Arria-formula, on the human rights and media freedom situation in Crimea, Ukraine.

“Severe clampdown on the Ukrainian and independent media in Crimea prevented the international community to obtaining a truthful and facts-based assessment of the human rights situation. The attempts by the high level officials and monitors of the UN and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe to visit Crimea and assess the situation were rebuffed. This meeting provided us with an opportunity to hear unbiased, unfiltered information and daily and mundane concerns of people living in Crimea”, - during the meeting said Ms. Rita Kazragienė, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Lithuanian Mission to the UN. 

Mr. Mustafa Dzhemilev, human rights activist, former Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and Ms. Valentyna Samar, Head of Board of the Information Press Centre in Simferopol, Chief Editor of the Centre of Journalistic Investigation, and member of the Global Investigative Journalism Network, took part in the meeting and shared their views on human rights and media situation, and implications of the recent events for the ethnic minorities residing in Crimea.

The meeting was attended by UN member states. “Arria formula” meetings are informal gatherings which enable Security Council members to have a frank and private exchange of views as well as to engage in a direct dialogue with representatives of Governments, international organizations and nongovernmental organizations on matters which fall within the responsibility of the Security Council.