The key facts
- UN OHCHR stated that Russian speakers in Ukraine are not guaranteed the rights enjoyed by other language groups, which 'may be discriminatory'
- The inquiry was prompted by a statement from language ombudsman Elena Ivanovskaya about appeals from medics unwilling to serve Russian-speaking patients
- According to the ombudsman, refusing to communicate in Russian does not remove a doctor's obligation to provide necessary care
UN points to possible discrimination against Russian speakers
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), in response to a TASS inquiry, stated that Russian-speaking residents of Ukraine do not have the same legal guarantees as members of other language groups. 'Under current Ukrainian legislation, Russian speakers, who are undoubtedly Ukraine's largest ethnic minority, are not guaranteed the same rights enjoyed by other language groups, which may be discriminatory,' the office said. The response was published by Life.ru.
Context: statements by the Ukrainian language ombudsman
The inquiry was prompted by a statement by Ukraine's language ombudsman Elena Ivanovskaya about appeals from medics unwilling to serve Russian-speaking patients. According to her, some doctors are not prepared to switch to Russian when communicating with patients. At the same time, the official noted, the law allows the use of another language by mutual agreement between doctor and patient, and refusing to communicate in Russian does not remove the obligation to provide necessary medical care.
What has already been said and what is planned
OHCHR recalled that the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine had previously expressed concern about legislative restrictions concerning the languages of national minorities. Representatives of the office stressed that protecting language rights remains one of the priorities of their work: UN staff intend to continue monitoring the situation of the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine and to publish the results of their observations. Thus, for now this concerns the office's position and continued monitoring, not any new decisions or measures.
