This Monday the United Nations (UN) issued a certification confirming that Russia continues to commit serious violations of international law in its conflict with Ukraine. These violations include torture against civilians and prisoners of war, arbitrary detention and incommunicado detention, as well as sexual violence against men and women. Furthermore, it has been reported that Russia is forcing Ukrainian citizens in the territories it occupies to accept Russian nationality.
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UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif has described survivors’ testimonies as tales of unimaginable cruelty, including electric shocks, sexual violence and beatings that have caused broken bones and teeth in some cases.
Al-Nashif presented these findings to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, based on the most recent report prepared by a UN mission deployed to Ukraine shortly after the start of the conflict. Russia has not allowed this mission to access its territory.
The report covers a six-month period, from the beginning of February to the end of July, during which the mission carried out more than one hundred field visits, inspected 27 detention centers in Ukraine and visited 28 care institutions. In addition, more than 1,200 interviews were conducted with victims, witnesses, family members and legal representatives.
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Since the start of the war, the human rights monitoring group has identified more than 1,000 Ukrainians arbitrarily detained by Russian forces, of whom 85 were found dead, while 463 remain detained.
Furthermore, it has been confirmed that in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine in the east of the country, Russia has massively issued passports to residents, harassing and excluding from essential public services those who do not accept them. The mission has also denounced a high risk of arbitrary detention for those who resist adopting Russian nationality.
On the other hand, it has been found that no system has been established to allow the return of Ukrainian children who were forcibly transferred or tricked into going to Russia or regions of Ukraine under Russian control. In specific cases where this has happened, children have reported physical and psychological violence by educational staff.
Al-Nashif announced that it is expected to extend the agreement between the UN and the Government of Ukraine for the mission to continue its work of monitoring and documenting human rights violations in the region.
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*This content was made with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on information from EFE, and was reviewed by the journalist and an editor.
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