On May 10, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine hosted a presentation of the working group established on the basis of the Mission on the instructions of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy – “De-occupied Crimea: the state’s priority steps”.
The document of the priority steps was presented to the MPs under the chairmanship of the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Kornienko and the Permanent Representative Tamila Tasheva.
At the opening, Mr. Kornienko noted that the topic of occupied Crimea has become a key issue in the context of the Crimean Platform and its parliamentary dimension: “We have to talk about the specifics that await us after de-occupation. This is all a prospect without a clear time frame, because de-occupation can happen tomorrow or in a few months. We need to prepare projects, initiatives, and the groundwork for reintegration. We have a very large amount of work to do together.”
Tamila Tasheva also greeted the audience and thanked them for participating in the event: “We all understand that de-occupation will take place through political, diplomatic and military means, i.e. a hybrid way. We hope it will happen as soon as possible, so we must be prepared for this whole process. It is clear that the Ukrainian parliament will play a leading and key role, which is why it is important for us to synchronize our actions with parliamentarians, members of the Crimean Platform, heads of committees and friendship groups.”
The Permanent Representative briefed the audience on the upcoming steps of the Ukrainian state in the following areas: restoration of public authorities and personnel policy, accountability for crimes, verification of documents and court decisions, property rights, humanitarian policy, as well as decisions regarding Russian citizens who entered the occupied peninsula after 2014 illegally.
Ms. Tasheva spoke in detail about each area and shared with her colleagues information about the development of educational programs to which the Mission has been involved. In particular, about “Post-Conflict Governance” and “Governance in the Post-War Territories”, developed together with the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a group of experts. These programs are designed for both civil servants and anyone who would like to work in the deoccupied territories.
MPs asked many questions about the areas under consideration. Particular attention was paid to criminal liability in the de-occupied territories: who will be held liable and for what, as well as the necessary changes to Ukrainian legislation that will take into account the context of the prolonged occupation.
Serhiy Ionushas, Chairman of the Committee on Law Enforcement, noted that a working group is currently working on the basis of the Committee to resolve this issue: “We understand that we need to work out certain changes, which will primarily concern not the amnesty procedure, but the procedure for exemption from criminal liability. The release is possible provided that the person assists in the disclosure of criminal proceedings, shows sincere repentance, and compensates or eliminates the damage caused. It is important that this procedure applies to crimes of low gravity.”
The participants also raised questions about the work of the judicial system in the liberated Crimea, the review of decisions of the occupation courts, and property. The procedure of expulsion of Russian citizens from Crimea who illegally entered Crimea after 2014 was also discussed. An important topic was the demilitarization of education on the liberated peninsula.
Serhiy Babak, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Education, Science and Innovation, spoke about a certain vision of the transition period regarding the educational process in the de-occupied territory: “Teachers who will go to work in Crimea after the liberation should be at least bilingual and psychologically prepared, because they will be working with children who have been brainwashed for 9 years. Obviously, the Law “On the State Language” will not be able to work from the first day of de-occupation. I strongly support the idea of transitional legislation. It is obvious that it will be necessary for almost every sphere.”
Ms. Tasheva also addressed the MPs from the friendship groups and emphasized that advocacy visits of international diplomats and MPs to the Crimean Platform’s Representative Office/Office are an effective tool for conveying important messages about Crimea to internationals.
Maria Tomak, Head of the Crimean Platform’s Support Service, suggested strengthening cooperation in advocating for Crimea among international partners: “We want to propose more intensive cooperation between our institution and the Ukrainian parliament. We are constantly monitoring and analyzing the situation in the occupied Crimea, so we are ready to supply analytical materials for your work. The second issue is the delegations that come to Ukraine, and meetings with them are quite productive for advocacy on the topic of Crimea. We can invite experts or victims of human rights violations resulting from the occupation of the peninsula. This will also help in highlighting the true course of events in the occupied Crimea.”
Olga Kuryshko, Head of the Legal Support Department of the Mission, Alyona Lunyova, Advocacy Director of the ZMINA Human Rights Center, and Daria Svyrydova, representative of the Crimean Platform expert network, also joined the discussion of all the issues raised.
The Mission is grateful to all colleagues and partners for participating in today’s presentation “Deoccupied Crimea: the state’s priority steps”. This document should form the basis for the development of future policies for the reintegration of the Crimean peninsula – and today we are all one step closer to this.