The deaths of civilians due to indiscriminate attacks by the Russian armed forces, torture by the occupiers, rape and other sexual violence: A UN commission released a new report on Friday on violations during the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than two years and will present the report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva early next week, UNN reports.
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The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Violations in Ukraine, established by the UN Human Rights Council, "found new evidence that the Russian authorities have committed violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, as well as relevant war crimes in the territories under their control in Ukraine" after 16 new visits to Ukraine and fact-finding interviews with 422 women and 394 men.
"We are concerned about the scale, duration and gravity of the violations and crimes investigated by the Commission, as well as their impact on victims and affected communities," said UN Commission Chairperson Erik Møse.
"The Commission is concerned about the continued use of explosive weapons in civilian areas. The number of such attacks indicates a pattern of disregard by the Russian armed forces for possible harm to the civilian population," the Commission said.
It is stated that "in general, recent indiscriminate attacks in violation of international humanitarian law by the Russian armed forces have resulted in civilian casualties, as well as destruction and damage to civilian objects, including protected objects such as hospitals and cultural heritage sites." "In many cases, the Russian armed forces did not take reasonable precautions to ensure that the affected objects were not civilian," the report says.
Reportedly, "new evidence confirms the Commission's previous findings that the practice of torture of civilians by the Russian authorities in Ukraine and the Russian Federation is widespread and systematic.
In the current report, the Commission focused its attention on cases of torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war and described the horrific treatment of them in several places of detention in the Russian Federation. "The testimonies of the victims show the ruthlessness and cruelty of this treatment, which caused the victims severe pain and suffering during prolonged detention. All of this was carried out with blatant disregard for human dignity and caused long-term physical and mental trauma," the Commission said.
"Investigations have revealed further evidence of the illegal transfer of children to Russian-controlled territories," the statement said.
"The report documents cases of rape and other sexual violence committed against women and girls in circumstances that also amount to torture. It also provides details of cases of sexualized torture and threats of rape against male prisoners of war," the statement said.
"This report also describes several human rights violations by the Ukrainian authorities against individuals suspected of collaborating with the Russian authorities," the press release on the Commission's report states.
"The Commission strongly condemns all violations and related crimes. The Commission's current findings indicate that further investigations are needed, in particular to determine whether some of the incidents identified may amount to crimes against humanity. Finally, the Commission reiterates the importance of ensuring that the perpetrators are identified and brought to justice," the statement said.
This report presents the findings of the Commission during its second mandate. Over the course of its two mandates, the Commission traveled to Ukraine 26 times, visited 90 locations in total, and interviewed 770 women and 641 men.
"The Commission will present its report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva early next week," the Commission said.