Finland Times

Schoolchildren shelter on September 11, 2014 in the basement of their school converted into a bomb shelter during citywide civil defense exercises, in the southeastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol. Photo – AFP / Lehtikuva.

Finland has granted 150,000 euros in support of Ukraine’s democracy and rule of law programme, said a release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 

Finland will participate in the 3-million-euro programme of the Council of Europe to promote investigations into human rights violations that have occurred in Ukraine, strengthen the trust of national minorities and to carry out constitutional reforms in accordance with the Council of Europe standards.

 

The programme is also aimed at reforming the electoral law and election monitoring as well as developing local democracy and participation possibilities of the civil society. 

 

According to the release, the Council of Europe has already begun to support the Ukrainian authorities, among others, in investigating human rights violations in Maidan and Odessa. 

 

The Council of Europe commissioner for human rights is currently visiting Kiev and has also presented the wish to have an opportunity to verify the human rights situation in Crimea.