The Ministry of Justice notes that Russian passports, which were forcibly handed to Ukrainians in the temporarily occupied territories, bear no legal force.
This is reported on the ministry’s Facebook page, Ukrinform saw.
“Situations where someone is deprived of the opportunity to choose is a practice often used by the Russian occupation authorities to influence people’s behavior so that they don’t act on their own will, but under the pressure of circumstances due to fear of repression or ensuing illegal restrictions. One of the examples is a forced issue of passports in the temporarily occupied territories (TOT) of Ukraine, which is one of the many evidences of violation of citizens’ rights,” the statement reads.
“Persons who committed an offense in order to avoid ill-treatment shall not be held liable,” the Justice Ministry stresses. Those who have been subjected to mental coercion shall be granted legal protection in court.
Among the measures taken by the aggressor in the territories under their control is the forced Russification of citizens who hold a Ukrainian passport. Russia inflicts major suffering on the civilian population because holding a Ukrainian passport is perceived as an act of protest, the Ministry of Justice informs.
“Yes, under the extremely difficult conditions of living in the occupation, local residents are forced to obtaine Russian citizenship. At the same time, such documents have no legal force and are not recognized anywhere, except in the occupied territories,” the Ministry emphasizes.
It is also noted that forced passportization is illegal and not recognized in Ukraine and across the world, as it is against the principles and norms of international law and a violation of the Geneva Convention on the Protection of the Civilian Population in Time of War.
“Accountability for actions committed under duress or due to fear for one’s life cannot be equivalent to accountability for action or inaction by those who knowingly support the enemy,” the Ministry of Justice notes.
As reported earlier, the Center of National Resistance stated that mandatory fluoroscopy of residents of temporarily occupied territories became a tool for forcing Ukrainians to switch to Russian passports.
