We do not have sufficient available evidence to recognize genocide in Ukraine, - head of UN Commission Möse
This was stated by the head of the UN Independent International Commission to Investigate Violations in Ukraine, Erik Möse, at a press conference in Kyiv, Censor.NET informs with reference to Radio Liberty.
"At this stage, we still haven't come to the conclusion that genocide is taking place (in Ukraine - ed.)," he replied to journalists.
According to Möse, the Commission does not have sufficient available evidence to meet the legal qualification of the Genocide Convention.
"We are well aware of the concerns and objections to this crime. So we are investigating it step by step. At this point, we do not have sufficient evidence available to meet the legal qualifications under the Genocide Convention. You will remember that this is a matter of intent, the intent of criminals. There must be a "need" to destroy a certain group. And such destruction, according to the Convention, must be physical or biological. These are the strict conditions (for recognition of genocide - ed.) that are confirmed by judicial practice," said the head of the Commission.
At the same time, Möse added that investigations in Ukraine will continue. Earlier, the Commission already noted that "there were certain statements in the Russian mass media that could possibly be related to the issue of incitement to genocide."
He explained that "this issue should not be considered separately from our other findings."
"As you know, we found a large number of war crimes. We found that at least with regard to two topics, namely torture and attacks (on the energy infrastructure of Ukraine - ed.) since October 2022, the question is whether they should be considered as crimes against humanity...And we've determined that there are indications that this could be a crime against humanity. So I think it's helpful to look at everything in context," Möse concluded.
