Russian prisoners of war in Ukraine were tortured – according to the study of the United Nations advanced Commissioner for Human Rights.
We are talking about the period from December 2023 to February 2024. The agency visited 44 Russian prisoners of war in the powiats of dniepropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Lviv, Mikołajov, Sum, Vinnytsky and Zaporosian.
"While these Russian prisoners of war did not claim that the torture took place in these facilities, they presented credible reports of torture or mistreatment at transit points after evacuation from the battlefield," says the report.
In particular, 8 people stated that they were held in private basements of buildings, most likely in the Kharkiv region. any of them spent a fewer days there, others up to a period and a half. Thirteen POWs reported being beaten with wooden sticks during interrogations, as well as being tortured by electroshocks utilizing military field phones or another electrical devices. Moreover, Ukrainians staged executions, and in 2 cases threatened Russian soldiers with sexual violence.
Lega artis AppIn addition, the Bureau noted that acts of intimidation of priests and UPC faithful proceed in the country. Department staff reported six cases in 5 regions erstwhile groups of people forced themselves into churches. They justified their action by local authorities' decisions to registry fresh spiritual communities of the SCH at the same address as existing UPC congregations.
OHCHR recalled that on 28 December 2023 respective people attacked the Kazan Church in the Vinnytsky Oblast. At least 2 people active in the crime claimed to be active soldiers of Ukrainian armed forces. Police officers who were on site did not intervene in this situation. In January there was another attack on the church where a priest and a parish priest were injured.
"OHCHR had previously reported a akin case in the town of Cherkasy in the Cherkasy Oblast on 20 November 2023. In this case, many victims and witnesses interviewed by OHCHR identified 1 of the attackers as an AFU soldier. Since then, the Ukrainian authorities have launched criminal proceedings on Cherkasa and Ladyzhyn," the UN noted.
Moreover, Ukraine discriminates against a Russian-speaking minority, stressed the Bureau. OHCHR staff were peculiarly curious in the Act adopted by the parliament of that country in December. It amends a number of normative acts concerning the rights of national minorities.
"While the law is simply a crucial step forward in improving the rights of national minorities, it maintains discriminatory treatment of national minorities utilizing the authoritative language of the EU on the 1 hand, and national minorities whose languages are not authoritative languages of the EU, specified as Russian", says the document.
The UN besides called on Kiev to lift the bans on peaceful gatherings of individuals identified as cultural Russians.
The Bureau added that the Kiev authorities do not sufficiently prosecute perpetrators of force against civilians and POWs. The agency documented arbitrary detentions, forced disappearances, torture and mistreatment, including sexual violence, against civilians associated with the conflict, as well as captured Russian soldiers. The executions of at least 25 Russian soldiers were besides documented between 2022 and 2023. Although the Kiev authorities have initiated at least 5 criminal proceedings against 22 persons, no advancement has been made in the investigation, the UN concluded.
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Daniel Głogowski
Publicist, author and social activist. The first articles were published in 1999 for global publishers. For more than 30 years, he has gained his experience through cooperation with the largest editorial offices. In his articles, he sought to address controversial themes and present first viewpoints that allowed for a deeper knowing of the issues discussed. Over the years, he gained a reputation as a reliable journalist. Contact: [email protected]
