The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News | OHCHR
Bi-Weekly Press Briefing: Ukrainian and Russian calls for execution of POWs - OHCHR
“We urgently call on both the Russian and Ukrainian authorities to investigate and to swiftly and publicly condemn audio recordings that have emerged over the weekend in which people with apparent connections to both sides of the conflict in Ukraine appear to order the summary execution of prisoners of war or declare that there shall be no survivors on the battlefield,” she said.
Audio material emerged on 23 April on several Telegram channels urging combatants not to take prisoners of war or to summarily execute those they captured.
“One recording is alleged to be of a member of the Ukrainian armed forces ordering the killing of a prisoner of war from the so-called ‘Wagner Group’ that provides military and security contractors to fight for the Russian Federation. A subsequent audio statement was issued, apparently from the head of the Wagner Group, indicating that they would no longer take prisoners of war on the battlefield,” she said.
“While we have not yet been able to verify the authenticity of these recordings, such statements could provoke or encourage summary executions of prisoners of war or those hors de combat,” she said.
“If verified, the order to summarily execute persons hors de combat, including prisoners of war, followed by their killing or an attempt to do so amounts to a war crime, as does the declaration that no quarter will be given,” Shamdasani added.
She called on Russian and Ukrainian authorities to comply with their obligations under international law to investigate the statements in these recordings and to identify and prosecute those responsible.
“We call on Russian and Ukrainian authorities to comply with their obligations under international law to investigate these statements that were made in these recordings and to identify and prosecute those who are responsible,” the spokesperson said.
“We also call on military commanders and other superiors to issue clear and unambiguous orders to protect and treat humanely POWs and persons hors de combat, and to ensure that these orders are strictly complied with,” Shamdasani said.
END
For more information and media requests, please contact:
In Geneva
Ravina Shamdasani - + 41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org or
Liz Throssell + 41 22 917 9296 / elizabeth.throssell@un.org or
Jeremy Laurence + +41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org or
Marta Hurtado - + 41 22 917 9466 / marta.hurtadogomez@un.org
In Nairobi
Seif Magango - +254 788 343 897 / seif.magango@un.org
Tag and share
Twitter @UNHumanRights
Facebook unitednationshumanrights
Instagram @unitednationshumanrights
- Exterior shot: travelling shot Palais des Nations
- Wide shot: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR): “We urgently call on both the Russian and Ukrainian authorities to investigate and to swiftly and publicly condemn audio recordings that have emerged over the weekend in which people with apparent connections to both sides of the conflict in Ukraine appear to order the summary execution of prisoners of war or declare that there shall be no survivors on the battlefield.”
- Cut away: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR): “One recording is alleged to be of a member of the Ukrainian armed forces ordering the killing of a prisoner of war from the so-called ‘Wagner Group’ that provides military and security contractors to fight for the Russian Federation. A subsequent audio statement was issued, apparently from the head of the Wagner Group, indicating that they would no longer take prisoners of war on the battlefield.”
- Cut away: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR): “While we have not yet been able to verify the authenticity of these recordings, such statements could provoke or encourage summary executions of prisoners of war or those ‘hors de combat’.”
- Cut away: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR): “If verified, the order to summarily execute persons ‘hors de combat’, including prisoners of war, followed by their killing or an attempt to do so amounts to a war crime, as does the declaration that no quarter will be given.”
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR): “We call on Russian and Ukrainian authorities to comply with their obligations under international law to investigate these statements that were made in these recordings and to identify and prosecute those who are responsible.”
- Cut away: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR): “We also call on military commanders and other superiors to issue clear and unambiguous orders to protect and treat humanely POWs and persons hors de combat, and to ensure that these orders are strictly complied with.”
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Volker Türk the UN Human Rights High Commissioner made the following remarks during and Oral update tothe Human Rights Council intersessional meeting on Venezuela.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
New flu variant is surging, but vaccination still our best bet - WHO
Amid an early start to the Northern Hemisphere influenza season a new variant of the virus is rapidly gaining ground - but vaccination remains the “most effective defence”, the UN health agency said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
In Sudan, deep concerns persist for the many tens of thousands of people believed to still be trapped in the city of El Fasher in the Darfur region, but UN aid agencies believe they may soon get access to the embattled city.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Human rights are underfunded, under attack and undermined worldwide, but activism is still powerful, undeterred and mobilising, says UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Human Rights Day press conference
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Gaza newborns ‘scarred by war before first breath’ by preventable maternal malnutrition: UNICEF
Starving mothers in Gaza are giving birth to underweight or premature babies who die in intensive care units or struggle to survive as they endure acute malnutrition, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango delivered the following remarks on Friday at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
The humanitarian situation in northern Mozambique continues to deteriorate sharply as prolonged attacks by non-State armed groups in Nampula trigger one of the largest displacement surges of the year, the UN warned on Friday.
1
1
Edited News | UNMAS
The deadly legacy of conflicts old and new from Gaza to Sudan and beyond continues to kill and maim civilians on a near-daily basis, mine action workers said on Wednesday, as they appealed for greater support for their lifesaving work in a context of deep funding cuts.
1
1
1
Edited News | WMO , UNICEF
Asia: Lives upended in cyclone disasters, ‘extreme’ rainfall on the rise - UN agencies
Across southeast Asia, record-breaking rains and flooding caused by back-to-back tropical storms have claimed hundreds of lives and brought devastation and displacement upon entire communities, UN agencies said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in the Geneva on Friday the UN Human Rights Office raised grave concerns about the recent constitutional amendments adopted in Pakistan.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights Spokesperson made the following comment on the most recent killings in the occupied West Bank yesterday.