The Association of Relatives of Political Prisoners of the Kremlin has submitted an official communication to the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances, based on the experience of over 200 cases handled by our Legal Aid Service in 2024–2025.
We have testified that Ukraine is currently facing a large-scale humanitarian crisis: enforced disappearances of civilians, unlawful detention in occupied territories, and the continued legal void experienced by those who have been released. These practices not only violate the core principles of international humanitarian law but also receive insufficient response from national authorities.
In our submission, we highlighted:
– The vast majority of released civilians receive no legally recognized status. This denies them access to compensation, assistance, and rehabilitation.
– The procedure for recognizing the fact of unlawful detention is confusing, non-transparent, and often fundamentally unjust.
– The commission responsible for reviewing applications lacks a clear regulation, does not ensure the applicant’s participation, and issues decisions without the possibility of appeal.
– Families of the disappeared lack adequate information about their rights and available procedures. They are often forced to turn to private lawyers — including in Russia — which entails financial and security risks.
– Although the state formally guarantees legal assistance and reimbursement of costs, the respective mechanisms have proven ineffective in practice.
– Released individuals often return without documents, in a state of deep psychological exhaustion, and with no information about available services or support.
Our calls to the Committee:
We urged the Committee to:
— Recognize the systemic nature of these violations;
— Recommend that Ukraine reform the mechanism for recognizing the status of unlawfully detained persons;
— Promote access to compensation, rehabilitation, and social programs;
— Establish an independent international mechanism to monitor the rights of released individuals.
We included our analytical report, “No Status — No Rights”, in the submission. The report documents the barriers separating victims from their right to protection, assistance, and a dignified reintegration after captivity.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who shares their stories, documents crimes, and helps others navigate the path to justice.
If you or your loved ones have been victims of enforced disappearance or unlawful detention, please contact our Legal Aid Service. We work to ensure that every voice is heard, and every violation is documented.
