Global Courant
A United Nations monitoring mission in Ukraine finds both Russia and Ukraine guilty of violating international law.
A UN mission in Ukraine has expressed serious concern over the summary execution of more than 70 Ukrainian citizens by Russian forces, while also documenting other violations of international law by both warring sides.
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) on Tuesday released its findings gathered between the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February last year to May this year.
“OHCHR is deeply concerned about the summary execution of 77 civilians – 72 men and 5 women – while arbitrarily detained by the Russian Federation, and the further death of one detainee (a man) due to torture, inhuman detention conditions and/or denial of necessary medical care,” the report said, citing the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The UN agency also documented 864 cases of arbitrary detention by Russian forces, many of which amounted to enforced disappearances.
It also reported the detention of 260 citizens “on the basis of their perceived political views or other legitimate exercise of freedom of expression”.
The actual number of cases may vary given that Russia has not allowed OHCHR any access to conflict-related detainees despite repeated requests, the UN agency said.
More than 90 percent of reported cases reported being subjected to torture and ill-treatment, including sexual assault.
Such treatment appeared to have been carried out in order to force the victims to confess that they provided aid to the Ukrainian armed forces, to force them to cooperate with the occupying authorities, or to intimidate those believed to be pro-Ukrainian. opinions,” the report said.
Ukrainian security forces have also been found guilty of unlawfully detaining at least 75 individuals, mostly suspected of conflict-related offences. They also held 65 civilians incommunicado to extract confessions.
“Fifty-seven percent of detainees interviewed described being subjected to torture and ill-treatment by Ukraine, mainly in unofficial detention centers and, to a lesser extent, in pre-trial detention facilities,” it said.
OHCHR also expressed concern over the “vague and overbroad” wording of a law introduced in Ukraine last March that established criminal liability for collaborators.
Under this law, the Office of the Public Prosecutor of Ukraine has opened more than 5,400 criminal proceedings leading to 500 convictions.
“The vagueness and overly broad terminology in the legal provisions raise concerns about the principle of legality and have led to arbitrary detention in a number of cases,” the UN agency said.
So far, Ukraine has convicted 23 Russians, OHCHR said, adding that it was not aware of any criminal proceedings initiated against Ukrainians involved in arbitrary detention or enforced disappearance.
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