A/HRC/42/40/Add.2 Code of Ukraine. However, both the law and the Criminal Code of Ukraine should be improved to bring them fully into line with applicable international standards. Impunity, in particular, is a serious problem; there have been no cases of perpetrators brought to justice for enforced disappearances. Investigations are usually initiated for cases where the persons allegedly responsible are identified as supporting the opposite side in the armed conflict, while there is no cooperation between the parties. In the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine, temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation, the Russian Federation as the occupying Power, is responsible for the protection of the civilian population, as well as for the human rights violations committed therein, including enforced disappearances. The situation of human rights in Crimea is a matter of concern, also given that the Russian Federation continues to apply its laws to the residents of the peninsula – contrary to its obligations as an occupying Power under the Fourth Geneva Convention – and to deny access to the peninsula to international monitors, including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Working Group reiterates its willingness to continue its constructive dialogue with the Government of Ukraine, and offers its unreserved support for the full implementation of the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. The Working Group reaffirms its solidarity with the victims of enforced disappearances, including the families of persons subjected to this heinous violation of human rights and grave criminal offence. Their continued suffering is living proof that enforced disappearance is a continuous violation until the fate and whereabouts of a forcibly disappeared person is clarified. 2

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