The commission set up by the UN to investigate possible human rights violations in Russia’s war against Ukraine has gathered new evidence of abuses that could constitute crimes against humanity, its president announced on Monday.
“Many of these abuses could constitute war crimes and some, if confirmed, could constitute crimes against humanity,” said Norwegian Erik Mose in Kiev, quoted by Spain’s EFE agency.
The former judge, who served on the International Criminal Court for Rwanda and the European Court of Human Rights, completed his third visit to Ukraine on Monday.
In addition to Mose, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine consists of Colombian academic and human rights activist Pablo de Greiff and Indian lawyer Vrinda Grover.
The commission was established in March 2022 by the UN Human Rights Council, shortly after Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine.
The findings of the study will be presented to the United Nations General Assembly in October.
The cases most likely to be punished by international justice concern the torture of soldiers and civilians, atrocities committed by the occupying forces on the battlefield and systematic attacks on electrical infrastructure.
During the third visit to Ukraine, the three experts met with the Ukrainian authorities, members of civil society and witnesses and victims of alleged human rights violations committed in the context of the war.
In addition to Kiev, they visited the central city of Uman, where they investigated the April 28 Russian attack on a residential block that killed 24 civilians, including several children.
The commission documented the continued Russian attacks, such as Uman, that hit Ukrainian civilian areas.
UN experts have recommended that Kyiv take steps to ensure a more integrated response from the various Ukrainian state bodies empowered to provide assistance to victims, so that they can get more effective and faster solutions.
The number of civilian and military casualties in the war that began with the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022 is unknown, but several sources, including the UN, have admitted it will be high.
Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine triggered Europe’s worst refugee crisis since World War II (1939-1945), according to the latest UN data.
The Russian invasion – justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – has been condemned by the international community at large, which has responded by sending arms to Ukraine and to impose on Russia from the political and political side. economic sanctions.
Source: DN
