Last Friday, Human Rights Watch released a report exposing apparent war crimes committed by Russian forces against people living in southern Ukraine, an area presently occupied and strictly constrained by Russia. The series of uncovered atrocities include torture, inhumane treatment, arbitrary detention, and unlawful confinement of civilians and prisoners of war.
Human Rights Watch investigated 42 separate cases in which Russian forces either held people incommunicado or in which people had disappeared after having been detained, learning of the information from 71 people in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
“People interviewed described being tortured, or witnessing torture, through prolonged beatings and in some cases electric shocks. They described injuries including broken ribs and other bones and teeth, severe burns, concussions, broken blood vessels in the eye, cuts, and bruises,” the report reflected.
“The purpose of the abuse seems to be to obtain information and to instill fear so that people will accept the occupation, as Russia seeks to assert sovereignty over occupied territory in violation of international law,” wrote Human Rights Watch. Similar acts of brutality, such as those committed by Russian forces in Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv, have already sparked global outrage and been scrutinized through war crimes trials.
Russian forces began their takeover of Ukrainian territory in February, starting with coastal land along the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. In the report, the purported acts of torture occurring in southern Ukraine have not been directly linked to Russia’s war aims. Moscow has denied abuse allegations against its troops in the past, also stating that its missiles target military rather than civilian areas.
“Russian forces have turned occupied areas of southern Ukraine into an abyss of fear and wild lawlessness,” revealed Yulia Gorbunova, senior Ukraine researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Torture, inhumane treatment, as well as arbitrary detention and unlawful confinement of civilians, are among the apparent war crimes we have documented.”
According to the Geneva Conventions, torture and inhumane treatment are prohibited from any party in an international conflict. Political leaders can face war crimes charges if their forces commit acts of abuse. “Russian authorities need to end such abuses immediately and understand that they can, and will, be held accountable,” said Ms. Gorbunova.
Link to article: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/24/world/europe/russia-torture-ukraine-human-rights-watch.html
Human Rights Watch investigated 42 separate cases in which Russian forces either held people incommunicado or in which people had disappeared after having been detained, learning of the information from 71 people in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
“People interviewed described being tortured, or witnessing torture, through prolonged beatings and in some cases electric shocks. They described injuries including broken ribs and other bones and teeth, severe burns, concussions, broken blood vessels in the eye, cuts, and bruises,” the report reflected.
“The purpose of the abuse seems to be to obtain information and to instill fear so that people will accept the occupation, as Russia seeks to assert sovereignty over occupied territory in violation of international law,” wrote Human Rights Watch. Similar acts of brutality, such as those committed by Russian forces in Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv, have already sparked global outrage and been scrutinized through war crimes trials.
Russian forces began their takeover of Ukrainian territory in February, starting with coastal land along the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. In the report, the purported acts of torture occurring in southern Ukraine have not been directly linked to Russia’s war aims. Moscow has denied abuse allegations against its troops in the past, also stating that its missiles target military rather than civilian areas.
“Russian forces have turned occupied areas of southern Ukraine into an abyss of fear and wild lawlessness,” revealed Yulia Gorbunova, senior Ukraine researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Torture, inhumane treatment, as well as arbitrary detention and unlawful confinement of civilians, are among the apparent war crimes we have documented.”
According to the Geneva Conventions, torture and inhumane treatment are prohibited from any party in an international conflict. Political leaders can face war crimes charges if their forces commit acts of abuse. “Russian authorities need to end such abuses immediately and understand that they can, and will, be held accountable,” said Ms. Gorbunova.
Link to article: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/24/world/europe/russia-torture-ukraine-human-rights-watch.html
