Russian military personnel forcibly removed 25 civilians, including children, from the occupied part of Kharkiv region to an unknown destination. It is currently unknown where the people are or in what conditions, while the Ukrainian side is demanding that the russian federation provide information about their whereabouts and facilitate their return to Ukraine. Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reported this, UNN writes.
Details
"Russian military personnel brazenly removed 25 local residents from the temporarily occupied part of Kharkiv region, where active hostilities are ongoing. Among them are young and elderly people, as well as children. The most frightening thing is that no one knows where these people are now or what conditions they are being held in. What worries me most in this story is the fate of the children. They are being taken away, their data is being collected — while their parents and relatives may not even know where they are.
Without a shred of shame, the occupiers themselves spoke about the so-called \"rescue operation\" on their Telegram channels. But behind the beautiful word \"evacuation\" lies a completely different reality: people were deprived of the opportunity to decide for themselves where to go and what would happen to them next. Available video footage indicates pressure and intimidation," Lubinets reported.
According to the ombudsman, the relatives of the 25 people currently do not know where they are.
In addition, the occupiers have already created a Telegram bot through which they collect people's data under the pretext of so-called \"evacuation.\" Such data may be used against the people themselves and their relatives. "I urge you not to submit passport details, addresses, telephone numbers or documents through it — your own or those of your children," Lubinets emphasized.
Such actions violate the norms of international humanitarian law. The Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War expressly prohibits:
- the forcible transfer and deportation of people from occupied territory (Article 49);
- the taking of hostages (Article 34);
- intimidation, terror and collective punishment (Article 33).
Lubinets reported that he had already appealed to the Commissioner for Human Rights in the russian federation and demanded:
- to provide the whereabouts of all 25 people;
- to provide information about the conditions in which they are being held;
- to provide the full details of the civilians who were taken away;
- to take measures to ensure their return to Ukraine.
The ombudsman also appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the UN and other international organizations.