13:58
14.3.2014
Lavrov and Kerry have gone for a long walk through a field, per ForMin spox pic on FB. "Hope they'll come back," she writes.
— Miriam Elder (@MiriamElder) March 14, 2014
13:56
14.3.2014
Meanwhile, the United Nations is deploying human rights monitors throughout Ukraine, including in Crimea, to establish the facts surrounding claims of rights abuses.
In a statement Friday, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic said placing monitors in Ukraine is necessary to clear up the "preponderance of competing narratives about what exactly has transpired in the country since November."
Simonovic said warning signs about violations have been neglected for years and now "there are serious concerns about the weakness of rule of law institutions, lack of accountability, and ensuing impunity for human rights violations."
Simonovic expressed concern about allegations of excessive use of force and extrajudicial killings, including by snipers, torture, disappearances, and arbitrary detentions.
Russia used allegations of violations of the rights of Russians or Russian-speakers in Crimea to justify its military intervention.
Simonovic said warning signs about violations have been neglected for years and now "there are serious concerns about the weakness of rule of law institutions, lack of accountability, and ensuing impunity for human rights violations."
Simonovic expressed concern about allegations of excessive use of force and extrajudicial killings, including by snipers, torture, disappearances, and arbitrary detentions.
Russia used allegations of violations of the rights of Russians or Russian-speakers in Crimea to justify its military intervention.
13:55
14.3.2014
According to Reuters and AFP, Russia has called on the 57-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to send observers to monitor Sunday's controversial referendum in Crimea, which is occupied by Russian forces.
The vote could see the region become part of Russia. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the leadership of the OSCE, its member states, and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights should renounce what it called the practice of "double standards" and monitor the vote.
The statement said the monitors would "facilitate the deescalation of the situation."
OSCE Chairman Didier Burkhalter said earlier this week that the referendum in Crimea "must be considered illegal" in its current form.
OSCE observers have had great difficulty in entering Crimea over the past week.
Last Saturday, warning shots were fired after OSCE monitors approached a checkpoint.
The statement said the monitors would "facilitate the deescalation of the situation."
OSCE Chairman Didier Burkhalter said earlier this week that the referendum in Crimea "must be considered illegal" in its current form.
OSCE observers have had great difficulty in entering Crimea over the past week.
Last Saturday, warning shots were fired after OSCE monitors approached a checkpoint.
13:55
14.3.2014
Crimea is springtime for Putin, says Prokhanov without any irony, in this demented Izvestia piece http://t.co/abgvkd9Q57
— Russian Police Watch (@RusPoliceWatch) March 14, 2014
13:53
14.3.2014
Fascinating BuzzFeed article on the inner workings of RT based on interviews with former reporters:
"The job quickly began to seem strange. The editing process was multilayered: 'First you have somebody who’s a native English speaker, usually British,' Bivens said. This person edits the script for clarity and tightness. 'Then you have a Russian and they make sure that it fits whatever narrative they want it to fit.'"
13:37
14.3.2014
Crimean Tatar figurehead Mustafa Jemilev says NATO should intervene in Crimea, as it did in Kosovo.
He added: NATO intervention "usually only happens when there is a massacre; we want it to happen before there is a massacre."
Jemilev was speaking from Brussels, where he is due to meet with NATO Deputy Secretary-General Alexander Verbow later today.
Read more (in Ukrainian) here:
13:21
14.3.2014
WATCH: RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service live-streaming from pro-Ukrainian rally in Crimean capital Simferopol:
13:18
14.3.2014
Germany's "Bild" and Reuters are reporting that the European Union has drawn up a list of 120 to 130 names of senior Russian officials who could be subjected to travel bans and asset freezes as part of EU sanctions over the crisis in Crimea.
Reuters quotes EU officials as saying the five-page list was drawn up by diplomats with experience in Russia and that it contains the names of generals and others from the top echelons of Russia's military and political establishment.
Germany's "Bild" newspaper reports the list for visa bans includes Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, head of the presidential administration Sergei Ivanov, the secretary of the National Security Council Nikolai Patrushev, as well as several advisers of President Vladimir Putin.
EU officials are expected to discuss the list ahead of an EU foreign ministers meeting on Monday.
Germany's "Bild" newspaper reports the list for visa bans includes Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, head of the presidential administration Sergei Ivanov, the secretary of the National Security Council Nikolai Patrushev, as well as several advisers of President Vladimir Putin.
EU officials are expected to discuss the list ahead of an EU foreign ministers meeting on Monday.
13:16
14.3.2014
Looks like a good start RT @AFPphoto: Kerry and Lavrov begin 11th-hour #Ukraine talks @b_smialowski #AFP pic.twitter.com/FhyXnnIDa0
— Glenn Kates (@gkates) March 14, 2014
13:06
14.3.2014
The UN is deploying a human rights monitoring team throughout Ukraine, including Crimea, effective immediately.
UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic, speaking today in Kyiv, noted:
-- "the preponderance of competing narratives about what exactly has transpired in the country since November"
-- "warning signs about systemic human rights violations were neglected for many years" in Ukraine, contributing to recent unrest
-- “I have personally met with one victim of a brutal beating whose scars, both physical and mental, were clearly visible"
-- “the call is for accountability and not retribution”
Full statement available here:
UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic, speaking today in Kyiv, noted:
-- "the preponderance of competing narratives about what exactly has transpired in the country since November"
-- "warning signs about systemic human rights violations were neglected for many years" in Ukraine, contributing to recent unrest
-- “I have personally met with one victim of a brutal beating whose scars, both physical and mental, were clearly visible"
-- “the call is for accountability and not retribution”
Full statement available here: