- September 24, 2024
- 2:08 pm
- Ukraine
The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Violations in Ukraine has found new evidence of widespread torture by Russian authorities against Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war in the occupied Ukrainian territories and in the Russian Federation.
The UN has announced new evidence against Russia in the case of torture of Ukrainians. The Commission reported this on September 23 in its latest update to the UN Human Rights Council.
The wide geographical spread and widespread patterns of torture demonstrate that torture was carried out as a routine and acceptable practice with a sense of impunity.
The UN commission's subsequent investigation into torture confirmed that “Russian authorities used torture in the regions of Ukraine they took under their control,” and new evidence “confirms the Commission's previous finding that torture committed by Russian authorities was widespread.”
The Commission has identified additional common elements in the use of torture by the Russian authorities, confirming its previous findings of a systematic nature. One such element is the repeated use of violent methods in Russian detention facilities where Ukrainian prisoners are held. This practice is observed in several large correctional facilities in the occupied territories of Ukraine. Another common element emerging from the evidence is the coordinated involvement of officers from specific Russian services in torture in all detention facilities investigated by the Commission.
It is also noted that the systematic use of sexual violence, mainly against men, in the Russian Federation “is also used as a method of torture, which is observed in almost all the mentioned places of detention.”
The commission also continued to document “attacks using explosive weapons on civilian objects in populated areas, leading to devastating consequences.” In particular, it investigated attacks that damaged medical facilities, cultural facilities, residential buildings and supermarkets in Ukrainian-controlled territories.
As the Commission continues its investigation into the Russian Federation's large-scale attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, some of which resulted in power outages affecting millions of people, it has uncovered new evidence of the impact of these attacks on the health and well-being of the population.
The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Violations in Ukraine is an independent body mandated by the UN Human Rights Council, inter alia, to investigate all possible violations and abuses of human rights, violations of international humanitarian law and related crimes in the context of the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.
The general of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation and his subordinates have been declared suspected of organizing torture in Kherson. According to the procedural guidance of the Kherson Regional Prosecutor's Office, 11 Russian police officers have been identified and notified in absentia of suspicion. All of them are charged with violations of the laws and customs of war, committed by prior agreement by a group of persons.
According to the investigation, employees of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs from various units were sent to the occupied territory of the Kherson region in June 2022 to ensure the occupation regime.