Banks ignore the court’s ruling according to which the Crimeans are considered residents again. This is reported by representatives of human rights institutions which have already received dozens of appeals from indignant displaced persons. Financial institutions keep discriminating the Crimeans by imposing demands which “normal” Ukrainians do not face. Human rights defenders are confident that the NBU could give an order to continue discrimination of the Crimeans, justifying this by their intention to appeal the stated ruling.

It has been over two weeks since the court has returned the status of residents to the Crimeans. Still, the NBU has not yet made any public comments or orders to banks and explanations for the citizens. Banks keep operating based on the withdrawn rule.

According to Serhii Zaiets, the expert of the Regional Centre for Human Rights, it is obvious that the silence from the part of the NBU means that the central bank of the country hopes to suspend the action of the ruling of the Court of Appeal. The expert does not exclude that the NBU will succeed in this, regardless of the fact that there is only one step left to the European Court, and the decision of the ECHR is quite predictable. “…The rule of law? Human rights? No, never heard of them,” – the expert resents.

“Of course, the National Bank has the procedural right to appeal this decision. But it came into effect already – and they have to execute it, – the lawyer Roman Martynovskyi is convinced. – Unfortunately, I still have not met the government official who would be afraid of the decision of the European Court. They only grin: “How much time will it take? Around five years? So, let my predecessors in this chair do something about it, and I have other tasks to cope with today…”

However, despite the contempt of the National Bank and commercial banks for the court’s ruling, human rights defenders do not intend to stop at this.

The expert of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union Daria Svyrydova admitted that this shameful example of discrimination of the Crimeans, which is still in place, is a vivid reflection of the situation with systematic failures to follow courts’ decisions in our country. She assures that the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union is ready to provide financial and legal support to the Crimeans’ appeals to the European Court of Human Rights and achieve a proper compensation for the affected persons.

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS RECOMMEND: What do those people have to do whom banks deny services as before?

To submit written appeals and demand written replies from banks, as this written reply means that the bank confirms accountability for non-compliance with the court’s decision. And this is punishable by the law and allows to restore rights and get a compensation for this.

WHO TO TURN FOR HELP TO?

Human rights defenders urge all Crimeans who suffered from banks’ discrimination, upon getting a written reply from the bank, to turn to the Regional Centre for Human Rights for drawing up an appeal to the European Court. Also, based on the appeals, human rights defenders will conduct an analysis and will identify the Ukrainian banks which discriminate the Crimeans most of all. Also, they will identify the banks which adhere to the requirements of the legislation and deserve trust.

Contact phone number of the Regional Centre for Human Rights: (044) 2843033, e-mail:   ;   (please, indicate “THE CRIMEA” in the subject line)

The initiative is realised within the framework of the project “The achievement of equality: a complex approach to enhance the state of equality and non-discrimination.”