PRESS RELEASE | No suffering is alien to us
March 08, 2022
The undersigned, 234 social and human rights organizations of the Americas, wish to express our support for the cessation of the Russian Federation’s aggression in Ukraine and the strict compliance with international human rights law and international humanitarian law
On February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation breached its commitments to the principles and obligations arising from the Charter of the United Nations by abandoning peaceful methods of conflict resolution and resorting to the use of force to violate the territorial integrity and self-determination of Ukraine. Most of the nations and peoples of the world have recognized the move as an act of unilateral aggression by Russia, which makes use of its armed force to attack the sovereignty, freedom, territorial integrity, and political independence of Ukraine, and, above all, the integrity and life of the Ukrainian people. An unlawful and unjustified act of aggression with no grounds of a political, economic, military, or any other nature under international law.
Despite its international obligations, the existence of mechanisms for peaceful conflict resolution, and the willingness of nations to achieve these solutions through dialogue, Russia has ignored the calls and put Universal Peace at risk. The use of weapons, the threats to escalate the conflict if other nations intervene, and the sole mention of a state of alert in the nuclear weapons system have placed nations, the International System for the Protection of Human Rights, and the citizens of the world before their most important challenge in recent history.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi, warned that a million people had to leave Ukraine for Poland and other neighboring countries in just 7 days, calling it “the fastest exodus in recent history”. the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (HCHR), Michelle Bachelet, in her report to the 49th session of the Human Rights Council, described the situation as “one of the most serious peace and security crises in recent years”, with massive impacts on the human rights of millions of people in Ukraine and new and dangerous threats to all of humanity. The Office of the HCHR has registered several armed attacks against the civilian population, resulting in 752 civilian casualties, including 227 dead, 15 of them children, and at least 525 wounded, including 28 children, estimates that could be much higher after confirmation, in addition to the damage and destruction of residential areas, schools, cultural places, hospitals, and vital service facilities for civilian life such as water, sanitation, and fuel. The aggression of the Russian government has unleashed a “humanitarian and human rights crisis in Ukraine” in just a few days.
To read the full press release, click here.