Dear colleagues,
the No Borders Project (Ukraine) made the statement re current situation in Ukraine (in relation with the themes of freedom of movement and asylum). Please help us to spread the word. You can find the list of different language versions below as well.
With solidarity,the No Borders Project (Ukraine) made the statement re current situation in Ukraine (in relation with the themes of freedom of movement and asylum). Please help us to spread the word. You can find the list of different language versions below as well.
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Statement of the No Borders Project (Ukraine) on the Day of Grief, February 23, 2014
24.02.2014
On February 23, No Borders Project and its friends traditionally celebrate Refugee Safety Day – or Refugee Defender’s Day (“Defender from the Motherland Day”). However, this year February 23 became the day of mourning for the people who stood up for their rights and were killed for that. No Borders Project expresses its deep condolence to the families and friends of the fallen heroes - Ukrainian and foreign nationals, those who came from different regions of Ukraine and other countries, including immigrants and refugees or their relatives.
We are convinced that those who are guilty in this tragedy should be made accountable in the framework of a transparent procedure that is in line with human rights.
For the past three months members of the No Borders Project took part in various groups and initiatives related to protest, and we intend to continue this work. We are grateful to the colleagues we worked together during these months in very different circumstances and want to tell them: we are proud of having met you. However, the major focus areas of the Project remain the same even at this time: assistance to refugees, freedom of movement, and combating discrimination.
No Borders Project team had also prepared for the worst case scenario: if Maidan activists and their relatives were threatened because of their work we were ready to provide them with advice on how to leave the country and obtain refugee status. We are very grateful to our friends and colleagues who took part in this initiative. The initiative is ongoing, even though we sincerely hope there will not be any need for it.
No Borders Project calls uppon governments and migration services of those countries, where persons connected with the previous Ukrainian regime and involved in violations of the rights and freedoms of Ukrainian citizens might arrive. We ask you to remember the provision of the Refugee Convention of 1951, according to which persons cannot be regarded as refugees if there are serious reasons to consider that they:“(a) have committed a crime against peace, a war crime, or a crime against humanity, as defined in the international instruments drawn up to make provision in respect of such crimes; (b) have committed a serious non-political crime outside the country of refuge prior to his admission to that country as a refugee; (c) have been guilty of acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations” (Article 1F, Convention 1951). We also call upon mass media not to use the term ‘refugee’ with regard to such persons – it is incorrect and offensive to true refugees.
We call upon state bodies, primarily upon the Security Service of Ukraine to cancel the shameful ban on entering Ukraine for a number of foreign citizens, which had been introduced exclusively on political grounds before and during Maidan events, and to publicly apologize to these people. Namely, we mean bans to the following people: Yuriy Barabash, Borys Nemtsov, Andriy Yurov (Russian Federation), David Kakulia, Georgiy Kikvadze (Georgia), Stuart Farmer (USA), citizens of Poland whose names we do not know at the moment, and others. We call upon the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine not to implement these politically motivated decisions as unlawful and as such that will become the object of investigation.
And finally we would like to remind once again that at Maidan people were fighting for their rights and freedoms. If we do not want to waste the results of this fight, Ukraine that we build now should be free from discrimination and xenophobia, human rights and freedoms should be observed at all levels, there should be effective mechanisms for protecting citizens from arbitrariness of the state, regardless of the people who govern the country. It is our common task to build such Ukraine.
Eternal glory to the Heaven Sotnia (“Heaven Sotnia”, or “Heaven Hundred” means nowadays in Ukraine all those who were killed during the protests – trans.). Human rights are above everything.
No Borders Project team
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LIST OF TRANSLATIONS v.1.1
ES http://noborders.org.ua/en/fields-of-work/refugees-and-asylum-seekers/in-spanish/
IT http://noborders.org.ua/en/fields-of-work/refugees-and-asylum-seekers/in-italian-dichiarazione-del-progetto-senza-i-confini-nel-giorno-del-lutto-il-23-febbraio-2014/
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"No Borders" Project,
Social Action Center (Kyiv, Ukraine)
tel./fax: (380) 44 254 5888
mob. tel.: (380) 97 238 63 86
e-mail: nazarova@noborders.org.ua
skype: aleksandra.nazarova
web: http://noborders.org.ua
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