Category: Press Releases

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 27 September 2022.

Ambassador Neil Bush highlights the importance of inclusive, democratic institutions and accountable governments at OSCE’s Warsaw Human Dimension Conference.

Thank you, Madam Moderator,

The United Kingdom believes that inclusive, democratic institutions and accountable governments are the foundations on which open, stable and prosperous societies thrive. Societies with the full participation of women and marginalised groups and equal rights for all. Resilient, responsive, and representative.

And yet, we have seen authoritarian influence on the rise in states across the OSCE region leading to democratic backsliding, restrictions to civic space and the rollback of rights.

Where human rights abuses go unchecked, we see the seeds of conflict sown, often with devastating consequences for communities and nations. The absence of democratic freedoms and equality, good governance and the rule of law also impedes nations’ prosperity, deters international investment, restricts innovation, and reduces opportunities.

The work of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) is vital to strengthening democracy and fostering long-term security. We fully support ODIHR’s election observation methodology – its impartial and objective approach to elections has helped improve electoral processes across the OSCE region.

It is crucial that ODHIR has a proper budget to continue delivering on its mandate and ensure democratic progress is sustained.

We also recognise that the information people need to participate democratically is increasingly moving online. Collectively, we need to ensure that journalists are able to operate safely and to hold the powerful to account. We must also remain vigilant of disinformation by malign actors.

Madam Moderator – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shows that it is critical that we work even harder to strengthen democratic resilience. Internal repression in Russia and Belarus is tied to external aggression. We stand totally and firmly with Ukraine.

Madam Chair – in conclusion, societies that govern themselves democratically, where all groups meaningfully participate in political and economic processes, are safer, stronger and more secure. We call on all OSCE participating states to recognise the importance of democracy in underpinning collective security, to work together to combat democratic backsliding in the OSCE region and to fully support the vital work of ODIHR.

Thank you very much.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 26 September 2022.

Thank you President and to SRSG La Lime and our briefers.

I’d like to add three brief points to the discussion today:

Firstly, like others, the United Kingdom remains deeply concerned by the continued deterioration of the security and human rights situation in Haiti. Violence and insecurity further entrench the multifaceted challenges faced by Haiti and exacerbate the vulnerabilities of the Haitian population.

As we’ve heard today from our briefers, the humanitarian situation within Haiti also continues to deteriorate. Rooted in long standing economic, security and socio-political crises – the current escalation of these challenges has exacerbated the food

insecurity of the Haitian people. The looting of the World Food Programme office and warehouse is deeply concerning, preventing assistance from reaching thousands of Haiti’s most vulnerable.

The United Kingdom encourages all actors to work constructively to find urgent solutions, and to support recovery and progress for the Haitian people.

Secondly, as others have also said, there must be greater efforts by Haitian stakeholders to resolve the political gridlock. This is critical in enabling Haiti to find its own pathway out of the compounded challenges it is facing.

We renew our call for all actors to resume political dialogue and to work together to ensure the necessary security environment within which free and fair elections can be held as soon as possible.

Thirdly, I would like to underscore the United Kingdom’s support for the work of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti. BINUH is fundamental in supporting Haiti to resolve these multifaceted challenges. By strengthening the Haitian National Police and facilitating dialogue between Haitian political stakeholders, BINUH’s efforts help lay the groundwork for stability in Haiti. We look forward to seeing the outcome of the strategic review of options to support security in Haiti and hope these are part of a renewed holistic and joined-up approach by the UN and other partners.

Finally President, we welcome the intention of the United States and Mexico to propose a draft resolution and look forward todiscussing it with partners. We support action that moves Haiti closer to security and stability with a return to democratic processes as soon as possible.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 26 September 2022.

Thank you, Mr Chair, and thank you to Poland and OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) for your warm welcome and hosting.

We gather today, against the bleak backdrop of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. In the history of the OSCE never have the Helsinki Final Act’s ten foundational principles been so disregarded. The territorial integrity of States is paramount. Yet Russia chooses to consistently ignore this principle. No matter the cost. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians have been killed and injured. Vibrant, historic cities of Ukraine lie in rubble, sham referenda are being organised. Multiple international humanitarian law and human rights abuses have been committed. Detailed in all their horror in two Moscow Mechanism reports. Lives have been put on hold. Many changed irreparably. Russia’s shadow looms large over its neighbours in the OSCE region. The impact of Putin’s illegal invasion seeping across the globe.

As we stand united with Ukraine, we must also reflect on the state of human rights within the Russian Federation and Belarus. Internal repression and external aggression represent two sides of the same coin – when a state places a stranglehold on the freedoms of its own people – it sets the conditions for, and enables, aggression abroad. We have witnessed this again over the last few days. Russian police arrested around 2,000 people for peacefully protesting mobilisation. Mr Chair – we cannot, and will not, sit idly by.

The institutions of the OSCE – ODHIR and the Representative on Freedom of the Media – act as an early warning to internal human rights abuses. We must heed their calls and react decisively. The human dimension underpins European security and is absolutely critical to the functioning of the OSCE. We must robustly defend the independence, mandates, and budgets of the OSCE’s institutions and structures. Our peace, stability and security may depend on it.

I’ll end by paying tribute to civil society representatives; the activists, lawyers, and the journalists who have travelled to Warsaw this year, some at real personal risk, to defend human rights. The UK delegation looks forward to a lively discussion with you.

Thank you Mr Chair.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 26 September 2022.

The Foreign Secretary has today (26 September) announced 92 sanctions in response to the Russian regime imposing sham referendums in four regions of Ukraine – a clear violation of international law, including the UN charter.

The Russian regime has organised these sham referendums in a desperate attempt to grab land and justify their illegal war. The process reflects their approach in Crimea in 2014, combining disinformation, intimidation, and fake results. These referendums do not represent the demonstrated will of the Ukrainian people and are a severe violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and political independence.

The Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

Sham referendums held at the barrel of a gun cannot be free or fair and we will never recognise their results. They follow a clear pattern of violence, intimidation, torture, and forced deportations in the areas of Ukraine Russia has seized.

Today’s sanctions will target those behind these sham votes, as well as the individuals that continue to prop up the Russian regime’s war of aggression. We stand with the Ukrainian people and our support will continue as long as it takes to restore their sovereignty.

In order to implement these fake referendums, the Russian regime has deployed officials and collaborators to each of the these temporarily controlled regions – 33 of these individuals are being sanctioned today. These include:

• Sergei Yeliseyev – the Head of Government in Kherson, recently installed by the Russian government and Vice Admiral in the Russian Navy. Since defecting from the Ukrainian navy in 2014, Yeliseyev has continued to undermine the independence of Ukraine
• Ivan Kusov – the Minister of Education and Science of the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic and tasked with “helping our educational institutions to seamlessly blend in the educational system of Russia” by Pasechnik – leader of the LPR
• Yevhen Balytskyi – the Russian installed head of the so-called Government in Zaporizhzhia, who has been supporting the Russian invasion since March through public statements of support. In August, Balytskyi reportedly signed a decree to allow a referendum on Zaporizhzhia joining the Russian Federation
• Evgeniy Solntsev – the Deputy Chairman of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic

IMA Consulting, branded ‘Putin’s favourite PR agency’ has also been sanctioned. IMA has reportedly been awarded to manage the public campaigns for these sham referendums – both to support their implementation within the four temporarily controlled territories and spin their false legitimacy back in Russia.

Goznak, a security documents company known for its monopoly on the production of ‘tens of millions’ of state documents including expedited passports in the temporarily controlled territories, has also been sanctioned.

Putin continues to rely on his cabal of oligarchs and selected elites in order to fund his war. Today a further four oligarchs, with a combined global net worth estimated at £6.3 billion, have also been sanctioned for supporting or obtaining benefit from the Government of Russia and operating in sectors of strategic significance. These include:

• God Nisanov and Zarakh Iliev – known as the ‘Kings of Russian real estate’, and with a joint global net worth of £2 billion, the pair own and control the Kievskaya Ploshchad Group, a major construction company operating across Russia
• Iskander Makhmudov – President and founder of Ural Mining and Metallurgic Company. A major metals magnate, Makhmudov has an estimated global net worth of £2.7 billion
• Igor Makarov – President and owner of ARETI International Group, a major investor in the oil and gas sector, and founder of Itera, Russia’s first independent gas company before being bought by state-owned Rosneft. Makarov is worth an estimated £1.6 billion

Today’s package also includes 55 board members from state-linked organisations that continue to bankroll the Russian war machine – serving as a stark reminder of the cost of supporting Putin’s operation. Amongst those sanctioned are:

• 23 individuals from the Gazprombank Board of Directors and Management Board
• 16 members of the Sberbank Supervisory Board, Executive Board, and other Directors
• 10 individuals from Sovcombank, including the Deputy Chairman and members of the Supervisory Board and Management Board

The UK will never recognise the results of any sham referendums or attempts to annex Ukraine’s sovereign territory. Ukraine voted overwhelmingly for independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and their continued brave resistance against Russian aggression clearly demonstrates their wish to remain an independent sovereign state.

We stand united alongside our international partners in condemning the Russian government’s egregious actions. Alongside partners we will continue to pursue targeted sanctions and are committed to sustained economic and political pressure on Russia.

As of today, the UK has sanctioned over 1,200 individuals and over 120 entities, including over 120 oligarchs with an estimated combined global net worth of over £130 billion.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 26 September 2022.

The UK Permanent Representative to the UK in Geneva, Ambassador Simon Manley, delivered a statement on the possible crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, China, Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, protests in Iran, the truce in Ethiopia and COP27 in Egypt.

Thank you, Mr President,

The former High Commissioner’s report found that possible crimes against humanity have taken place in Xinjiang, China. It found evidence that Muslim women are being forcibly sterilised. That Uyghurs are not allowed to practice their religion or speak their own language. That people are being detained and tortured– merely because they belong to a minority group. We cannot ignore such severe and systematic breaches of human rights. This Council must not, cannot, stay silent.

We have oft spoken in this Chamber of Putin’s flouting of international law through his military aggression against Ukraine.

The sham referendums currently being held in Ukraine can have neither legal effect nor legitimacy. Russia can’t change the borders of another sovereign state. It’s a clear breach of the UN Charter.

We have also repeatedly heard the harrowing reports of Russia’s violations of human rights in Ukraine, including of those subjected to Russia’s so-called filtration operations. Aggression overseas is accompanied by repression at home as those brave Russians who dare to speak out against Putin’s war are detained in their thousands.

Mr President,

The death of Mahsa Amini in Iran, following her arrest, has shocked the world. We call on Iran to carry out independent, transparent investigations into her death and the excessive violence used against subsequent protests.

In Ethiopia it is crucial that the truce is reinstated and that peace talks begin to avoid a repeat of the atrocities including extrajudicial killings and sexual violence seen earlier in this conflict.

Finally, ahead of COP 27 – we urge Egypt to ensure that independent civil society, human rights defenders, and the media can operate freely. The success of the conference – as we saw in Glasgow – depends on vibrant civil society participation.

Thank you.