New procedure of crosing the demarction line requires urgent revision, – “Restoring Donbas”

22:27 / 26 Jun. 2015 / 1504

According to experts of the community initiative “Restoring Donbas”, the updated procedure of crossing the demarcation line in ATO area violates seven articles of the Constitution of Ukraine. It is inhumane in its essence. It was stated by Elena Petryayeva, the head of the initiative, during a press conference in Kiev.

According to the “Restoring Donbas”, implementation of this procedure has left 3.5 million Ukrainian citizens in involuntary blockade. The rules of passing the demarcation line become more complicated – the time of the transit through the checkpoints takes from 8 hours to two days. Up to 1,000 vehicles are queuing at checkpoints every day. Transport of food, supplies and medicines, including vital (except humanitarian aid) is forbidden.

“The procedure of crossing the demarcation line requires urgent revision. There are life and death of people behind it. There is a violation of human rights. We aspire to the European community, ranting the European values. If we act inhumanely, Europe and the whole international community will turn aside. Nobody will work or be engaged in dialogue with a society, which does not take care about its members”- said Elena Petryayeva.

She also noted that the experts of the initiative have prepared the suggestions on the prompt modification of the rules of pass-entry system and its operation. These offers are sent to the Security Service of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights.

The key suggestions, which are presented by “Restoring Donbas”
— elimination of the paragraph, which prohibits crossing the demarcation line by public transport;
— exclusion of the limitations on food, medical supplies and medicines importing;
— simplification of the transportation of medical supplies for the prevention and treatment of socially dangerous diseases, special baby and medical nutrition;
— simplification of checkpoints, abolition of passes;
— organization of online monitoring about the situation at checkpoints and rapid reaction to the occurrence of congestion and queues;
— providing the necessary conditions for citizens crossing the demarcation line (water, toilets, shelters, etc.).

“Restoring Donbas” stands for the complete abolition of the pass-entry system in its present form.

Irina Ageeva, another participant of the press conference, the head of communication and policy department All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH”, noted that the situation on the unconrolled territories becomes worse after the implementation of the new procedure of crossing the border among the demarcation line. “June 15 we received a letter about inability of the Red Cross to provide the supply of medicines on the uncontrolled territories. What the state should do to make international organizations to refuse to transport humanitarian medical aid?”.

She added that social workers can not transport medicine even in hand luggage under the new conditions.
Natalia Tselovalnichenko, the coordinator of the human rights group in Luhansk, stressed that the new rules violate the Constitution of Ukraine, limit human rights and freedoms. “There are hundreds of lawsuits related to this issue in the European Court of Human Rights”, – she said.

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