UN Commission finds new evidence of mass torture in occupied territories of Ukraine
The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on violations in Ukraine has found new evidence of torture by the Russian authorities against Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war in the occupied Ukrainian territories and in Russia.
The Commission reported this in its report to the UN Human Rights Council, Censor.NET reports citing Ukrinform.
"The wide geographical coverage and widespread patterns of torture demonstrate that torture was carried out as a common and acceptable practice with a sense of impunity," the Commission said.
Further investigation of torture cases showed that "the Russian authorities used torture in the regions of Ukraine that they took control of" and the new evidence "confirms the Commission's previous conclusion that torture committed by the Russian authorities was widespread."
"The Commission has identified additional common elements in the use of torture by the Russian authorities, confirming its previous conclusions about the systematic nature of these actions. One of these elements is the repeated practice of violent methods in places of detention in the Russian Federation where prisoners from Ukraine are held. This practice is observed in several large penitentiary institutions in the occupied territories of Ukraine. Another common element emerging from the evidence points to the coordinated involvement of employees of specific Russian services in torture in all the places of detention investigated by the Commission," the report says.
It is also noted that the systematic use of sexual violence, mainly against men, "is also used as a method of torture, which is observed in almost all of these places of detention".
In addition, the Commission took into account the testimonies of former prisoners about the staff of prisons in the Russian Federation. The evidence also shows that "in some places of detention, orders for ill-treatment were issued by senior Russian officials who either approved or failed to take action to stop such treatment".
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 alleged human rights violations and abuses, violations of international humanitarian law and related crimes in the context of the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine.
