Russia continues to commit war crimes in Ukraine, with attacks against civilians, torture, sexual and gender violence, and attacks against energy infrastructure. This was stated this Monday the UN commission that investigates this type of crimes since the beginning of the invasion and that continues to collect evidence.
In a presentation to the Human Rights Council, The commission reported that it has documented attacks with explosive weapons against residential buildings, a functioning medical center, a railway station, a restaurant, shops and commercial warehouses.
In all cases there were civilian casualties and basic service facilities were damaged or completely destroyed, said the president of the investigative group, Erik Møse, who was president of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and former supreme judge of Norway.
According to the investigations of the commissioners, who have visited Ukraine ten times to collect first-hand information, go to the attacked places and interview victims, Russia continues to attack civilians and places protected by international humanitarian law.
The commission – also made up of Colombian professor Pablo de Greiff, a specialist in transitional justice, and Indian jurist Vrinda Grover – acknowledged before the Human Rights Council that it has no certainty about the causes of the blowing up of the Nova Kakovka dam in June. which caused an ecological and human catastrophe by causing thousands of forced displacements and dozens of missing people.
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Another issue on which he has not been able to reach a conclusion is the extent of the transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia. unaccompanied organized by the authorities of this country.
He said that there is a lack of clarity and transparency in relation to the number of those affected, the circumstances and the category of children transferred, which may threaten their return to their families.
On the other hand, The commission’s investigations in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia have revealed “widespread and systematic use of torture.” by the Russian armed forces”, in particular against people accused of being informants for the Ukrainian armed forces.
The documented brutality is extreme to the point of sometimes causing the death of the tortured people. Additionally, investigators were able to establish that sexual violence was perpetrated in Kherson against women between the ages of 19 and 83.
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Colombian Pablo de Greiff, a member of the commission, said that it is impossible to determine the number of people tortured and killed by this practice given that there is no access to the detention centers where this is happening and which are controlled by Russia.
“I think what’s important right now is to emphasize the widespread nature of these practices and that they are serious enough to cause someone’s death,” he said.
This commission, which was created shortly after the start of the war by Russia, at the end of February 2022, He has not received a response to any of the communications he has sent to the Moscow Government.
His second annual term will conclude next March, when he will present an updated report to the Human Rights Council, which may decide to extend his mission for an additional year.
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Commission keeps a list of those responsible
The UN commission also said this Monday that is regularly updating a list with the identity of perpetrators of human rights violations which will be delivered in the future to the relevant United Nations body for safekeeping.
That list includes not only names of individuals, but also of entities that have responsibility for the commission of crimes, according to the findings made by the commission, said its president, Erik Møse, in the presentation before the Human Rights Council of the UN in Geneva.
Besides, This list contains names that range from the top to the bottom of the hierarchy with responsibility for the violations. and will be delivered in due course to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk.
The body headed by Türk guards several lists of this type, such as those containing the identity of those responsible for the genocide of the Rohingya minority in Burma or the crimes during the civil war that broke out in Syria in 2011.
The content of these lists is kept confidential and their objective is to serve as the basis for a criminal accusation when these situations are judged by national or international justice bodies.
*With EFE
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