Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes the decision by the UN’s most important body which oversees the implementation of human rights across the globe. It should be noted that the Human Rights Council’s decision is unprecedented. It is the first time in the body’s history, that a state of such position in global politics was subjected to the Council’s monitoring regarding its respect for human rights. Adoption of this resolution by the HRC is undoubtedly the success of Polish diplomacy as it meets one of Poland’s most important goals of its HRC membership.

The Council’s decision symbolically fits in with the announcement of the Nobel Committee for Peace Prize, which this year honoured the Memorial Society, among others. For more than 30 years, the organisation has been researching Stalinist atrocities and defending human rights in Russia. Due to its activities, contrary to the dominating ideology of rehabilitating the USSR, the organisation has been heavily repressed by the state apparatus. The repressions peaked on 28 December 2021, when Russia’s Supreme Court ordered liquidation of the Memorial.

 

Łukasz Jasina

MFA Spokesperson