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Ukraine scraps human rights treaty for rebel areas, cuts services, freezes banks
Kiev
has suspended the protection of human rights and ordered the
withdrawal of its institutions from areas controlled by local militia
in the nation's east. Rebels have branded the decree, which hits the
population on winter’s eve, an ‘act of genocide.'
RT,
15
November, 2014
Kiev
has suspended the protection of human rights and ordered the
withdrawal of its institutions from areas controlled by local militia
in the nation's east. Rebels have branded the decree, which hits the
population on winter’s eve, an ‘act of genocide.'
The
move was prepared by the Ukrainian National Security and Defense
Council last week and enacted by a presidential decree signed on
Friday. It has yet to be ratified by the newly-elected parliament,
but the decree explicitly says that this procedure must be expedited
– so there is little doubt that the new governing coalition will
adopt it next week.
Arguably
the most controversial part of the decree is the suspension of the
European Convention on Human Rights in rebel-held areas. The
convention, which guarantees basic human rights and fundamental
freedoms in Europe, has a provision which allows some of its articles
to be derogated by a signatory “in time of war or other public
emergency threatening the life of the nation.”
Kiev
has been insisting that the military campaign it launched against the
dissenting provinces is not a war, but an “anti-terrorist
operation.” Apparently the operation threatens the life of Ukraine,
which will now observe only those provisions of the convention, which
cannot be derogated under any circumstances. In particular, they are
the right to life, the prohibition of torture and slavery, and the
right not to be subjected to unlawful punishment.
Cutting
ties with breakгway regions
In
practical terms, the decree orders that many social and economic ties
with the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics be
severed. Kiev will withdraw all its officials and evacuate its
offices in rebel-held areas. The order covers all public services,
including crucial ones, such as schools, hospitals, and emergency service.
15
November, 2014
Kiev
has suspended the protection of human rights and ordered the
withdrawal of its institutions from areas controlled by local militia
in the nation's east. Rebels have branded the decree, which hits the
population on winter’s eve, an ‘act of genocide.'
The
move was prepared by the Ukrainian National Security and Defense
Council last week and enacted by a presidential decree signed on
Friday. It has yet to be ratified by the newly-elected parliament,
but the decree explicitly says that this procedure must be expedited
– so there is little doubt that the new governing coalition will
adopt it next week.
Arguably
the most controversial part of the decree is the suspension of the
European Convention on Human Rights in rebel-held areas. The
convention, which guarantees basic human rights and fundamental
freedoms in Europe, has a provision which allows some of its articles
to be derogated by a signatory “in time of war or other public
emergency threatening the life of the nation.”
Kiev
has been insisting that the military campaign it launched against the
dissenting provinces is not a war, but an “anti-terrorist
operation.” Apparently the operation threatens the life of Ukraine,
which will now observe only those provisions of the convention, which
cannot be derogated under any circumstances. In particular, they are
the right to life, the prohibition of torture and slavery, and the
right not to be subjected to unlawful punishment.
Cutting
ties with breakгway regions
In
practical terms, the decree orders that many social and economic ties
with the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics be
severed. Kiev will withdraw all its officials and evacuate its
offices in rebel-held areas. The order covers all public services,
including crucial ones, such as schools, hospitals, and emergency service.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko
(Reuters / Mykola Lazarenko)
The
same measure is applied to all state-owned companies and their
employees and to prisoners serving terms in the affected parts of
Ukraine.
The
Ukrainian central bank has been ordered to stop servicing all banks
operating in the rebel-held areas. The accounts of individuals living
there and companies located there have been frozen. This will stifle
the local economy, as businesses will have to conduct transactions in
cash or use a bartering system.
At
the same time, the rules of taxation and budget transfers between
Kiev and local governments in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions will be
altered under the decree.
Reuters / Anatoly Stepanov
Local
heating and power plants will be subjected to a “special procedure
for accounting supplies of fuel” to ensure that their debt will not
grow. This potentially could involve cutting supplies altogether to
the plants that don’t pay.
Ukraine's
decision to halt subsidies to rebel-held areas may be understandable.
However, the problem of standing debts in Ukraine’s energy sector
has a long history, as energy companies have been for years failing
to collect payments from consumers, and as a result pay for fuel
supply.
The
debt burden has been a de facto social subsidy by the government –
and a practice which the International Monetary Fund wants eradicated
as a condition for further loans to Ukraine. For people in eastern
Ukraine who may be left with no heat in the middle of winter, it's an
issue of survival rather than economic effeciency.
Ceasefire
imperiled
President
Petro Poroshenko’s decree also repeals a Ukrainian law which
provided special status for the rebel-held areas. The law was adopted
by Kiev to deliver on its promises under the ceasefire it negotiated
with the rebels in Minsk in September.
Poroshenko
threatened to repeal the law after the self-proclaimed republics held
elections on November 2 in defiance of Kiev’s order not to do so.
The
new measures, while apparently in line with rebels’ desire to be
independent from Kiev, have been harshly criticized by them.
The
same measure is applied to all state-owned companies and their
employees and to prisoners serving terms in the affected parts of
Ukraine.
The
Ukrainian central bank has been ordered to stop servicing all banks
operating in the rebel-held areas. The accounts of individuals living
there and companies located there have been frozen. This will stifle
the local economy, as businesses will have to conduct transactions in
cash or use a bartering system.
A rebel stands guard during the
self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic leadership and local
parliamentary elections at a polling station, November 2, 2014
(Reuters / Maxim Zmeyev)
"Poroshenko’s
decree on the total socio-economic blockade of Donbass is de facto an
act on genocide and devastation of our people,” Igor Plotnitskiy,
leader of the Lugansk People’s Republic, said.
He
added that his government would not change its course, and that
people in Lugansk “will live better than Ukraine, which will find
the rule of the oligarchs worse and more devastating than any
blockade.”
A
fellow official from the Donetsk People’s Republic, Denis Pushilin,
said Poroshenko’s decree is “a flagrant violation of the Minsk
protocol.” He called on the OSCE, which brokered the ceasefire deal
together with Russia, to come up with comments on the situation.
Kiev
conceding to reality
Poroshenko’s
decree marks Kiev’s acknowledgment of the reality on the ground,
prominent Russian human rights activist Lev Ponomaryev commented.
"Those
territories are not controlled by the Ukrainian government, which
cannot and does not want to perform its functions, as we see. De
facto they are acknowledging a certain degree of sovereignty [of the
self-proclaimed government over] those territories,” he told RIA
Novosti.
"In
my opinion, the most important thing now is that civilians don't get
killed there. If these measures held the ceasefire, one could
probably welcome them,” he added.
A meeting of the Contact Group on
Ukrainian reconciliation in Minsk, Belarus (RIA Novosti)
But
Mikhail Fedotov, who chairs the Russian Presidential Council for
Human Rights, doubts that.
"I
believe those measures are dangerous and would hurt the civilian
population in the conflict zone,” he said. “They are showing a
desire to distance from the conflict zone. It does not make progress
towards a peaceful settlement of the conflict.”
The
presidential decree is one in a package aimed at stabilizing the
situation in Ukraine. Poroshenko's other orders are aimed at
controlling the weapons that flooded the country amid the
deterioration of the police force and toughening up punishments for
war crimes, as well as reforming the military and energy sector
Putin:
Economic blockade of E. Ukraine a ‘big mistake’
But
Mikhail Fedotov, who chairs the Russian Presidential Council for
Human Rights, doubts that.
"I
believe those measures are dangerous and would hurt the civilian
population in the conflict zone,” he said. “They are showing a
desire to distance from the conflict zone. It does not make progress
towards a peaceful settlement of the conflict.”
The
presidential decree is one in a package aimed at stabilizing the
situation in Ukraine. Poroshenko's other orders are aimed at
controlling the weapons that flooded the country amid the
deterioration of the police force and toughening up punishments for
war crimes, as well as reforming the military and energy sector
Putin:
Economic blockade of E. Ukraine a ‘big mistake’
RT,
16 November, 2014
Ukraine’s
decision to sever economic ties with rebel-held areas and stop
funding local public services is a big mistake which does not help
the locals gain trust in Kiev, Russian President Vladimir Putin told
journalists at the G20 summit.
“I
don’t understand why Kiev authorities are cutting off those
territories with their own hands. Well one can understand – to save
money. But it’s not the time or the case to save money on,” he
said.
Putin
compared Kiev’s debacle with the Donetsk and Lugansk regions to
Russia’s own armed conflict in the Chechen Republic that erupted
several times since the early 1990s and officially ended in April
2009. But even at the worst moments, Moscow did not stop paying
pensions and other social benefits to the Chechen people, he
said.“At
moments that appeared to be stupid, because the people who were in
control there not only embezzled that money but also could use them
for obviously less-than-noble goals. But we did it due to our moral
obligations to the common people. And in the end it turned out to be
the right decision, as Chechens appreciated what Russia did to
support the common people,” Putin
said.
The Russian leader said he hopes the decision of the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko will be amended according to the demands of real life.
The Russian leader said he hopes the decision of the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko will be amended according to the demands of real life.
Kiev
decided to take a number of measures in
the rebel-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine, including suspending
human rights protection for their residents, freezing public
services, and banning banks from operating there. The stifling
economic measures were ordered in a decree by President Petro
Poroshenko on Friday.
The move was in retaliation for the elections that the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics held earlier in November in defiance of Kiev’s prohibition.
The move was in retaliation for the elections that the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics held earlier in November in defiance of Kiev’s prohibition.
Sanctions, oil, G20 talks
Putin
was speaking in Australia’s Brisbane, where he took part in the G20
summit.
During
the G20 meetings, there was a common understanding that economic
sanctions against Russia harm both their targets and the countries
imposing them, and a way out of the current situation is urgently
needed, the Russian President told journalists following the second
day of talks.
“I
believe there is a common understanding that this statement does not
only deserve a right to exist, but is the only true one,” Putin
said.
While many media outlets, both in Australia and in other countries, implied that Putin had an icy welcome at G20 summit, the actual atmosphere at the event was quite cordial, the Russian leader said.
While many media outlets, both in Australia and in other countries, implied that Putin had an icy welcome at G20 summit, the actual atmosphere at the event was quite cordial, the Russian leader said.
Putin
praised the attitude of Australians in Brisbane and the hospitality
of the country’s Prime Minister Tony Abbot, who played host to the
event.
“I
took a look at the local press and other media after I arrived here.
There was some whipping up of the tension. The actual reality and the
virtual life as reported by the media – at least in this particular
case – differed a lot,” Putin
stressed.
Putin
said that while virtually every bilateral meeting he had at the
summit focused on Ukraine, the general meetings did not even mention
it. Instead, the agenda included infrastructure investment and
introducing a new institution into the global energy industry, among
other topics.
Speaking of Russia’s own standing in a world of lowering oil prices and after the Russian national currency experienced rapid devaluation, Putin assured that the nation has enough resilience to weather the storm. Due to the dollar’s rise, oil was traded higher than the Russian 2014 budget expected in the first half of the year, so the current low price won’t force a correction, he said.“We will see what happens next year. If this continues, we’ll correct our spending, but it won’t affect our social obligations,” Putin said.
Speaking of Russia’s own standing in a world of lowering oil prices and after the Russian national currency experienced rapid devaluation, Putin assured that the nation has enough resilience to weather the storm. Due to the dollar’s rise, oil was traded higher than the Russian 2014 budget expected in the first half of the year, so the current low price won’t force a correction, he said.“We will see what happens next year. If this continues, we’ll correct our spending, but it won’t affect our social obligations,” Putin said.
Putin’s early leave
Vladimir
Putin is leaving the G20 summit early. Following an avalance of media
speculations over the motives for his early departure, he explained
the move by saying he had a long trip back to Moscow before returning
to work on Monday.
“Just to avoid speculations here, I am not going to the events tomorrow. I am leaving the finance minister in my place, who will report on Russia’s effort in fighting the Ebola outbreak,” he said.
“The trip from here to Vladivostok is nine hours. And nine hours more from Vladivostok to Moscow. I’d like to get home before going to work on Monday. And have at least four or five hours of sleep. So I told that to Tony [Abbott] and he bore with me. There are no other considerations here.”
Earlier, some media implied that Putin would leave the summit early because other world leaders pressured him over Russia’s position on the Ukrainian crisis.
Putin denied the reported hostility, saying that the reality of the summit was different from what the media described, and the atmosphere was constructive.
“Just to avoid speculations here, I am not going to the events tomorrow. I am leaving the finance minister in my place, who will report on Russia’s effort in fighting the Ebola outbreak,” he said.
“The trip from here to Vladivostok is nine hours. And nine hours more from Vladivostok to Moscow. I’d like to get home before going to work on Monday. And have at least four or five hours of sleep. So I told that to Tony [Abbott] and he bore with me. There are no other considerations here.”
Earlier, some media implied that Putin would leave the summit early because other world leaders pressured him over Russia’s position on the Ukrainian crisis.
Putin denied the reported hostility, saying that the reality of the summit was different from what the media described, and the atmosphere was constructive.
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