Post #7148

🎙Read excerpts from the statement Representative of Russia to the OSCE «On World Refugee Day» (meeting of the OSCE PC, 03.07.2025) 🗓 In 2001, the UN General Assembly declared June 20 as World Refugee Day. The Russian Federation prioritizes assistance to asylum seekers. A key element in this work is the established constructive cooperation between our country and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. ☝️Since the start of the special military operation, over 6.5 million people have arrived in Russia. The figures speak for themselves. A significant role in this massive exodus has been played by the total Russophobia unleashed by the Kiev regime, which has permeated all spheres of people’s lives. This is compounded by persecution of canonical Orthodoxy, the so-called “busification,” where men are indiscriminately seized on the streets and sent to slaughter. Also noteworthy are the catastrophic decline in living standards, impoverishment of the population, and daily propaganda broadcast on Ukrainian radio, television, and social media. ❗️We wish to draw attention to the unacceptable situation regarding the rights of refugees and forced migrants in certain European countries. 🇦🇹 According to human rights defenders, Austria is experiencing failures in its foreigner integration system. In migration centers for those awaiting refugee status, there are unheated tents, cases of disregarding gender and age during placement, robberies, and violence. 🇬🇧 The situation is no better in the United Kingdom. We see the deterioration with forced migrants. The “Illegal Migration Act” passed in July 2023 has drawn significant criticism from human rights activists, UN representatives, and the Council of Europe. The infamous migrant camp at the former Wetherfield airbase is widely known. NGOs accuse the authorities of violating Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights, as the conditions there are effectively equivalent to deprivation of liberty. In 2024, complaints about Wetherfield also included a lack of access to medical care. The situation is similarly dire at the Brook House detention center near Gatwick Airport. 🇱🇻 Lithuanian authorities allow discrimination, resulting in more favorable accommodation conditions for some asylum seekers, while others face violence and detention. Latvia also exhibits discriminatory treatment of forced migrants. 🇪🇪 Concerns also arise regarding Estonia. The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance notes that public discourse in Estonia has become less tolerant, with politicians’ statements dividing the population, including along ethnic lines. ⚠️ It is high time for the “collective West” and its “satellites” to address the systemic human rights problems accumulating in their countries. We are confident that the second joint report of Russian and Belarusian Foreign Ministries “On the Human Rights Situation in Certain Countries,” presented this week at the Hofburg, will assist them in this task.