Acting U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Eric Watnik opened the event, and Ukrainian Acting Minister of Information Policy Emine Dzhaparova; U.S. Mission to the OSCE Charge Kate Byrnes; Head of the Secretariat of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Bohdan Kryklyvenko; and Senior Expert at the Ukrainian Center for Global Studies Vitalii Martinyuk addressed the human rights situation and violations in Ukraine. All highlighted the gross mistreatment of the Crimean Tatars by Russia, and the culture of fear Russia continues to foster to suppress dissent, silence journalists, and keep the peninsula of Crimea isolated. The experts were unanimous in their support of sanctions against Russia and demand for permanent international monitors in Crimea. In her recorded remarks from Vienna, Charge Byrnes called the situation in Crimea a “human rights disaster,” and condemned Russian aggression as an affront to the “rules-based 21st century international order.” The policy of the United States is not anti-Russian, she said, but rather for a Ukraine that is free to make its own decisions on its path to becoming a modern, democratic European state. Ukraine is on the frontline of European security, Charge Byrnes concluded. Following the remarks, the participants watched the powerful Ukrainian documentary, “Crimea. The Resistance,” which depicts the suffering of the Crimean Tatars under Russian occupation. Ukrainian Ambassador to Hungary, Liubov Nepop, delivered the closing remarks, thanking all of the speakers and participants, and comparing Crimea to a hijacked ship in which two million Ukrainians are held hostage. She reemphasized the importance of a united front against Russia, and reminded the participants not to forget about Crimea. #FocusOnUkraine