UN General Assembly passes anti-Russian resolution on Crimea

The UN General Assembly’s committee on humanitarian and social issues passed a Ukraine-sponsored resolution condemning the situation with human rights in Crimea.

The four-page document, put forward by Ukraine, condemns alleged discrimination and human rights abuses against residents of Crimea, including the Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian minorities.

The resolution was supported by 73 states, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and European Union countries. A total of 23 states voted against, including Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Venezuela, China and India. 76 countries abstained, including Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department for Humanitarian Cooperation and Human Rights (DHCHR), Anatoly Viktorov, said at the session of the committee that the resolution "has nothing to do with the real situation in Crimea, as well as the opinion and interests of the peninsula residents."

"We are convinced that many Ukrainians would prefer to live like the residents of Crimea live now: in peace, gradual economic development and social security. This is how the present situation in Crimea looks like," TASS cited him as saying.