Three years after the peninsula’s unlawful annexation by Russia in March 2014, the human rights situation in Crimea is worsening fast. It is exacerbated by the absence of any effective international monitoring mechanism with access to the peninsula, which has emboldened the Russian and the de facto authorities in Crimea to persevere in their relentless campaign against all vestiges of dissent. Ensuring effective international human rights monitoring in Crimea, including agreeing on the practicalities for a relevant mechanism’s unobstructed access to Crimea, should be a priority for the international community.
