A group of Ukrainian organizations advocating for human rights has sent a letter to Rishi Sunak, urging him to resolve the disagreement regarding the utilization of funds from the sale of Chelsea to aid those affected by the war in their country.
Two years after the United Kingdom implemented sanctions on Roman Abramovich, the £2.5bn earned from the sale of Chelsea remains inaccessible in a UK bank account, despite a promise to use the funds for humanitarian causes. The European affairs committee of the House of Lords recently stated their confusion and frustration over the fact that the money has not been used for its intended purpose.
On Thursday, 58 groups, including the Ukrainian human rights coalition Ukraine 5am, wrote a letter to Sunak at the behest of NGO Redress, urging him to take action.
The letter, signed by victims and survivors of the conflict in Ukraine, urges action to resolve the ongoing issue surrounding the £2.5bn sale of Chelsea FC. The funds should be utilized to meet the pressing needs of these individuals and also provide reparations for survivors.
The government and Abramovich have conflicting views on how the funds should be utilized. The government wants the money to only be used within Ukraine, but Abramovich argues that the terms of the sale of Chelsea did not specify this and instead allowed for spending on humanitarian purposes for all victims of the conflict in Ukraine and its aftermath.
The letter requests Sunak to move past the current deadlock and explore alternative means of accessing the funds. It suggests that since there is a significant amount of money at stake, the government should consider other options for utilizing the funds in a way that complements and maximizes their impact. The letter proposes that proceeds from the sale of Chelsea FC be divided among humanitarian initiatives, reconstruction efforts, and reparations for those who have suffered human rights violations. The suggested amount of £2.5bn has the potential to greatly improve the lives of numerous individuals affected by the conflict, enabling them to move forward with their lives.
The communication urges Sunak to collaborate with the Ukrainian government and civil society in redirecting the funds and creating a working group with survivors to ensure efficient and timely distribution. It also suggests that the government should explore using established methods, like the damage register in Ukraine, instead of a new charitable foundation that has not been fully established yet.
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The Ukraine 5am coalition consists of various organizations dedicated to documenting the war crimes perpetrated by Russian forces in the country following the invasion in 2022. The letter also bears the signatures of the Global Survivors Fund, the Coalition for Genocide Response, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, and well-known human rights lawyer Helena Kennedy.
Source: theguardian.com
