football fans and law enforcement negligence; (4) provocation by the “pro- Unity”
movement in order to intimidate the “pro-Federalism” movement.
C.
Investigations into other human rights violations
126.
The Parliamentary Committee investigating the events in Odesa is also in charge of
investigating the violence in Mariupol, which became the theatre of heavy fighting on 9
May. Nine people died when Ukrainian security forces fired into unarmed protesters and,
earlier that day, tried to dislodge armed protesters from a police station87.
127.
The head of the Committee told the HRMMU that after having listened to many
witnesses it was now in possession of a very detailed factual description, including
information about the time and sequence of events, names of individuals who allegedly
gave specific orders or took key decisions that led to the tragic outcome. The Committee
will interview the persons mentioned by the witnesses and transfer the information
collected to the Investigative Department of the State Security Service of Ukraine. The
deadline for the Parliamentary Committee report, initially planned to be issued on 15
June, was extended until 20 October 2014.
V.
INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS
128.
As of 15 July, UNHCR reports there are 86,609 internally displaced persons (IDPs)
from Crimea and the eastern regions of Ukraine. The number of IDPs from the east has
increased dramatically since mid-June with a change in the composition of the IDP
population - 85% now coming from the east and 15% from Crimea. Given the large
numbers of IDPs reported as having left the eastern regions, it appears that there is a
significant gap in the registration of IDPs. The numbers may swell if these IDPs are
registered in coming weeks. Though disaggregated statistics on the age and gender
breakdown of the IDP population are not available, it is observed that the vast majority of
IDPs appear to be women and children.
129.
IDPs from eastern Ukraine have left home predominantly due to security concerns,
including the risk of being caught in crossfire. Some IDPs express individual fear of
persecution for their political views, ethnicity or fear of being forcibly recruited into the
insurgent groups. IDPs also report having experienced or heard of incidents of abduction,
extortion and harassment in their neighbourhoods, leading them to take preventive flight.
Another reason that prompts people to flee is the material damage to housing and
infrastructure in the region, where the water and electricity systems were no longer
functioning. Given the insecurity in the region, delivery of basic goods is paralyzed to
many towns, and IDPs say that food supplies are erratic and expensive, and medicines
are frequently unavailable. With the breakdown in the banking system, many could not
obtain the cash they needed to purchase basic goods, even if they did become available.
Many IDPs are particularly vulnerable as they remain within the eastern regions, caught
in the on-going fighting to which international humanitarian actors currently do not have
access.
130.
IDPs from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions report leaving the region with few
personal belongings, sometimes without time for preparation, in order to disguise the
purpose of their departure from the region, so they have few resources to establish
87
A description of the case is provided in the HRMMU Monthly Report of 15 June 2014.
156 | P a g e
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