Prison officials in Vinnitsia, Ukraine, should immediately withdraw a lawsuit against a prominent Ukrainian human rights organization, Human Rights Watch said today.

This submission summarizes Human Rights Watch’s key concerns with Ukraine’s compliance with its international obligations in the context of four areas that have been the focus of Human Rights Watch’s work in recent years – human rights abuses fueling the HIV/AIDS epidemic, as well as discrimination against women in employment, media freedoms, and the treatment of migrants.

A letter to the Committee against Torture in advance of its review of Ukraine, in which key areas of concern not already reflected in its “List of issues” are highlighted in the hope of seeing them taken up during the review. These include the forcible return of Uzbek asylum seekers, migration and asylum policy, and police torture and other ill-treatment undermining efforts to combat HIV/AIDS.

Letter urging Vanhanen to use the E.U.-Ukraine Summit meeting on October 27th to seek concrete commitments from the Ukrainian government to improve its record on guaranteeing fundamental human rights protections for people living with and at high risk of HIV/AIDS.

European Union efforts to shift responsibility for migration to countries beyond EU borders threaten the human rights of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, Human Rights Watch said in a briefing paper released today. On Friday, European leaders are expected to discuss migration at an EU informal summit in Lahti, Finland.

A letter to the United Nations Human Rights Committee to guide their upcoming review of Ukraine’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Human Rights Watch highlights key issues of concern with respect to abuses fueling Ukraine’s HIV/AIDS epidemic, including torture and other ill-treatment by police and discrimination by health care providers; the forcible return of Uzbek asylum seekers; and other violations of the rights of migrants and asylum seekers.

The Ukrainian government’s considerable efforts to combat Europe’s worst HIV/AIDS epidemic are being undermined by its failure to end persistent violence and discrimination against people at highest risk of infection, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

I am writing to express Human Rights Watch’s serious concerns about the Ukrainian government’s forced return of ten asylum-seekers to Uzbekistan on the night of February 14-15, in violation of international law.