During the departure of IDPs from Donetsk region to temporary accommodation sites from the transit center in Lozova, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, on September 26, 2025 (Photo by Viacheslav Madiievskyi/Ukrinform)

As the United Nations publishes today a report documenting Russia’s violations of human rights and humanitarian law and discriminatory policies that force Ukrainians to leave the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, I reiterate my position that peace negotiations, notably when addressing territorial issues, should not ignore the profound and irreparable suffering of Ukrainians living under Russian occupation.

Experience has shown that each time Russia’s occupation expands to new Ukrainian territories, patterns of grave human rights violations and international crimes are repeated and intensified, while impunity for these violations and crimes remains pervasive.

The UN report confirms that Ukrainians living under occupation endure blatant violations of their human rights and multi-layered pressure to abandon their homes and identities. The violations include the imposition of Russian citizenship to maintain access to rights such as the right to healthcare and to property, severe restrictions on freedom of expression and the militarisation and indoctrination of children in schools.

These actions come alongside other gross violations of human rights as documented, for example, in other UN reports and the Council of Europe Secretary General’s regular reports on the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. The violations include illegal detention, enforced disappearances, torture, unlawful prosecutions, deportation of civilians, including children and the persecution of peaceful dissidents. I deplore the continued lack of safe and unfettered physical access to the temporarily occupied territories for regional and international human rights organisations.

Many Ukrainians who have fled the temporarily occupied territories to government-controlled areas or abroad are now cut off from loved ones who remain behind, unable to visit their homes, maintain regular contact, or secure safe reunification. Humanitarian corridors are crucial to enable the restoration of ties with Ukrainian society and to facilitate the freedom of movement of Ukrainians who have refused Russian citizenship.

I note that in addition to the direct and indirect forcible transfer or deportation of Ukrainians out of the temporarily occupied territories, there have been reports of new plans by Russia to continue massive transfer of its own citizens there. I observe that the forcible transfer or deportation of a civilian population out of an occupied territory and the transfer by the occupying authorities of parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies constitute war crimes and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions under international law.

International law further demands that occupying authorities protect the populations under their control. The imposition of citizenship, property confiscation, and repression of dissent must never be normalised or tolerated. These violations also undermine the right of all persons displaced by the conflict to return to their homes in conditions of safety and dignity.

As peace negotiations continue, I reiterate my call that all those involved keep at the centre of their considerations the human rights violations and human suffering brought about by occupation. In this respect, I fully support the UN report’s call: “The international community should ensure that peace negotiations include the meaningful consideration of the situations and interests of displaced persons and address specifically their voluntary, safe and dignified return to places of origin in occupied territory, with full respect for their human rights and international humanitarian law.”

Lasting peace cannot be achieved by sidelining victims and allowing gross violations of human rights.

On March 23, 2026, the Public Defender of Georgia has filed an amicus curiae brief with the Tbilisi City Court in relation to the case of defendant Paata Manjgaladze.

As a result of the study of the criminal case materials presented by the defendant's lawyer, important issues have been identified from a human rights perspective.

Paata Manjgaladze was charged with organizing group violence. However, it is unclear what specific actions the defendant committed. He, like several other defendants, was named as one of the organizers of the rally, not as the organizer of group violence. It is noteworthy that there is no evidence in the case that would prove that he incited violence or issued instructions/orders regarding violence; any document reflecting or proving the development of any plan together with other persons accused of organizing group violence, distribution of roles between them.

The document submitted by the Public Defender reviews the content of the principle of legality guaranteed by the Constitution and the European Convention, as well as, in accordance with the Criminal Code, the explanations of the Supreme Court of Georgia and the opinions established in legal literature regarding cases of organizing/leading group violence, which refer to the necessity of a joint plan and a common goal (specifying the exact time of agreement, identity of participants), the joint implementation of the composition of action by direct intention (with a functional distribution of roles) and the determination of the role and function of each member in the action. The law excludes the possibility of imposing liability without clarifying the above issues.

The Public Defender hopes that the legal argumentation presented in the opinion will assist the court in making a decision. Proper consideration of the above circumstances by the court and the presentation of a reasoned position will have a direct impact on both the provision of the rights and freedoms of individuals, as well as on the development of further court practice.

Nr. 8 / 24.03.2026 Sozialsprechstunde: Bürgerbeauftragte berät in Lübeck am 2. April 2026

Probleme beim Bürgergeld, wie zum Beispiel mit der Übernahme der Kosten für Miete oder Heizung, mit der Hilfe zum Lebensunterhalt, dem Wohngeld oder auch mit Leistungen der Krankenkassen oder Schwierigkeiten beim Kindergeld – die Bürgerbeauftragte für soziale Angelegenheiten des Landes Schleswig-Holstein, Samiah El Samadoni, hilft bei allen Fragen rund um das Sozialrecht. Darüber hinaus berät die Bürgerbeauftragte auch als Leiterin der Antidiskriminierungsstelle des Landes und als Ombudsperson in der Kinderund Jugendhilfe im Rahmen dieser Sprechstunde. Zudem ist die Bürgerbeauftragte auch Beauftragte für die Landespolizei und damit Ansprechpartnerin für Beschwerden von Bürger*innen und Eingaben von Polizist*innen.

Die Bürgerbeauftragte berät unabhängig und kostenlos am Donnerstag, den 2. April von 10 bis 15 Uhr in der Beratungsstelle der Deutschen Rentenversicherung Nord, Ziegelstraße 150, 23556 Lübeck.

Eine Terminvereinbarung vorab ist zwingend erforderlich und die Beratung kann nun im Einzelgespräch erfolgen. Ohne telefonische Anmeldung ist eine persönliche Beratung leider nicht möglich. Die Anmeldung erfolgt telefonisch unter der Rufnummer 0431/988-1240. Besucher*innen mit Erkältungssymptomen müssen gebeten werden, ihren Termin wieder abzusagen.

Eine persönliche Beratung in der Dienststelle im Karolinenweg 1 in Kiel ist in dringenden Einzelfällen nach vorheriger Anmeldung wieder möglich. Bürger*innen erhalten selbstverständlich weiterhin werktags zwischen 9.00 Uhr und 15.00 Uhr (mittwochs bis 18.30 Uhr) sowie nach Vereinbarung sozialrechtliche Beratung am Telefon, per E-Mail oder per Post. Auch können sich Bürger*innen in allen weiteren Zuständigkeiten (Polizeibeauftragte, Antidiskriminierungsstelle und Ombudsstelle für Kinder und Jugendliche) an die Dienststelle der Bürgerbeauftragten wenden.