Unilateral EU Anti-Russia Sanctions Violate Human Rights – Russian UN Envoy

The European Union’s unilateral sanctions imposed against Russia violate human rights, including the right to free movement, Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN Office in Geneva Alexey Borodavkin said.

GENEVA (Sputnik) – Borodavkin reaffirmed Russia’s advocacy for honest and equal dialogue with the West on human rights issues.

"Unilateral sanctions imposed against us are not only illegitimate from the point of view of classical international law, but also undermine the rights of Russian citizens to freedom of movement, development and work," Borodavkin said at an international conference in Geneva on Thursday.

The diplomat called on EU member states to take note of the progress observed in the advancement and defense of human rights in Russia over the past 25 years.

"Europe itself needed centuries for that. We cannot help but see that European human rights values literally came apart at the seams once Europe faced the threats of terrorism and mass illegal migration," he added.