Crimean people recognized as residents of Ukraine again

The court allowed the appeal of human right activists and repealed the rule which recognized Crimean people as non-residents.

Lawyer of the Regional Human Rights Centre Serhiy Zayets posted this information on his Facebook page. According to him, the Kyiv Administrative Court of Appeals allowed the appeal of the human rights defenders. The Paragraph 1 of the Resolution of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) No. 699, recognizing Crimean people as non-residents, is not valid starting today.

“However, there are still many problems, as a number of provisions relating to legal entities have remained in force. The court also refused to recognize the fact of discrimination,” Serhiy Zayets informs.

Giving a commentary to the Human Rights Information Centre, Serhiy Zayets noted that cassation appeal might be lodged.

“The NBU is likely to adopt some kind of new decision on the Crimean people. But I do not know … I have not yet seen the full decision of the court. I can tell you one thing: Crimean people have become the residents of Ukraine again. And the bank requirements to bring some additional certificates to perform ordinary banking operations are now illegal. The full text of the court’s decision will be available on September 6, and will be able to better understand the reasoning of the court,” the lawyer said.

As reported, November 3, 2014, the National Bank of Ukraine adopted the resolution No. 699, equaling the citizens of Ukraine to Crimean registration to the non-residents. The commercial banks on the mainland Ukraine have subsequently began to block accounts of Crimean residents, barred them from loan granting, getting transfers and performing other financial transactions.

The Crimean residents filed over ten lawsuits demanding to cancel the National Bank’s decision. The Kyiv Administrative Court of Appeals considered one such complaint, drawn up with the support of the lawyers of the Regional Human Rights Centre.

August 21, the Plenum of the Supreme Court of Ukraine ruled that the NBU’s resolution on recognition of the Crimean people as non-residents of Ukraine was contrary to the effective legislation.