The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Press Conferences , Edited News | HRC
HRC - Press Conference: Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine - 15 March 2024
STORYLINE
New evidence of widespread and systematic torture by Russian forces in Ukraine, say UN-appointed independent rights investigators
Fresh evidence of severe and systematic abuse, including likely war crimes, perpetrated by Russian forces in Ukraine were revealed on Friday by UN-appointed independent rights investigators.
“The new evidence strengthens the Commission's previous findings that torture used by Russian authorities in Ukraine and in the Russian Federation has been widespread and systematic. The latest investigation focused on cases of torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war,” said Erik Møse, Chair of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, speaking to reporters at the United Nations in Geneva.
The report highlights an escalation in civilian suffering two years following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces, attributing the violations to a disregard for fundamental humanitarian principles and to the obligations to uphold human rights.
The findings reflect information gathered from March 2023 to March 2024, when the Commission travelled to Ukraine 16 times, visiting 34 settlements in nine provinces and interviewing 816 people.
The siege and indiscriminate bombardment of Mariupol were an additional focus of the report, which assessed the grave impact on civilians of the fighting from the outset of the full-scale invasion until the end of May 2022.
Fighting in Mariupol city damaged or destroyed at least 58 medical buildings, according to the data gathered by the Commission.
“Residents described unbearable suffering endured during relentless shelling and aerial bombardments which caused large scale death, injury and destruction,” said Mr. Møse. “People interviewed by the Commission recalled seeing large number of dead bodies on the streets, in the rubble of their houses and in the city's hospitals.”
Incidents of rape and other sexual violence were also examined in the Commission's report.
“The Commission investigated incidents of rape and other sexual violence committed against women in circumstances which also amount to torture. It also details incidents of torture with a sexualized dimension and threats of rape against Ukrainian male prisoners of war,” said Commission member Vrinda Grover.
The investigations found additional evidence concerning the unlawful transfer of children to areas under Russian control. “In its current report, it concludes that the transfer of a group of 46 children from the Kherson regional children home to Crimea was not temporary and hence amounts to war crime of unlawful transfer,” Ms. Grover said.
According to the Commission, indiscriminate attacks by Russian forces have led to the destruction and damage of civilian objects, including those that are protected under international law – such as hospitals and cultural property.
“In this report, the Commission has documented for the first-time attacks by Russian authorities affecting cultural property and seizure of cultural objects,” noted Vrinda Grover.
“We have found that in the summer of 2023, the Russian armed forces committed indiscriminate attacks in Odessa city, affecting several buildings and the Transfiguration Cathedral located in the historic center,” she added.
The attacks were, at the time, severely condemned by UNESCO, as violence against cultural heritage of Ukraine that stands in contravention of international conventions on the protection of cultural property and world heritage.
-ends-
STORY: Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine – Latest report
TRT: 2:35”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 15 March 2024 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
- Exterior medium shot: UN flag alley
- Wide shot: speakers at the press conference with photographers in front of them
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Erik Møse, Chair of the Commission: “The new evidence strengthens the Commission's previous findings that torture used by Russian authorities in Ukraine and in the Russian Federation has been widespread and systematic. The latest investigation focused on cases of torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war.”
- Wide shot: speakers at the press conference with journalists in the room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Erik Møse, Chair of the Commission: “Residents described unbearable suffering endured during relentless shelling and aerial bombardments, which caused large scale death, injury and destruction. People interviewed by the Commission recalled seeing large number of dead bodies on the streets, in the rubble of their houses and in the city's hospitals.”
- Wide shot: speakers at the podium from behind with photographers
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Vrinda Grover, Commissioner: “In this report, the Commission has documented for the first-time attacks by Russian authorities affecting cultural property and seizure of cultural objects. We have found that in the summer of 2023, the Russian armed forces committed indiscriminate attacks in Odessa city, affecting several buildings and the Transfiguration Cathedral located in the historic center.”
- Wide shot: speaker at the podium with journalists and photographers in press room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Vrinda Grover, Commissioner: “The Commission investigated incidents of rape and other sexual violence committed against women in circumstances which also amount to torture. It also details incidents of torture with a sexualized dimension and threats of rape against Ukrainian male prisoners of war.”
- Close up: photographers taking pictures
- SOUNDBITE (English) - Vrinda Grover, Commissioner: “In its current report, it concludes that the transfer of a group of 46 children from the Kherson regional children home to Crimea was not temporary and hence amounts to war crime of unlawful transfer.”
- Wide shot, photographers taking pictures
- Medium shot, speakers at podium
- Close up, journalist taking photos with phone
Similar Stories
2
1
2
Press Conferences | UNCTAD
Presentation of the Review of Maritime Transport 2024: Navigating maritime chokepoints
1
1
1
Edited News | UNFPA
Ukraine's birthrate plummets amid war, prompting a new demographic strategy.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IFRC , UNDP , UNEP , UNFPA , WHO
Rolando Gómez, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section at the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Development Programme, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme, World Meteorological Organization, the United Nations Population Fund, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF , UNIFIL
UN peacekeepers determined to stay in south Lebanon, while humanitarians report more civilian suffering in Gaza and West Bank
UN peacekeepers are keeping their positions in South Lebanon despite heavy shelling and targeted attacks; their commitment to bringing back stability to the region is unwavering, the UN said on Friday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNIFIL , OCHA , UNICEF , IOM , WHO
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization, and the International Organization for Migration.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
Volker Türk calls on Tunisia to uphold rule of law and democratic freedoms, following pre-electoral context marred by human rights concerns
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk today called on the Tunisian authorities to protect the country’s democratic processes and uphold fundamental freedoms after a presidential campaign marred by a crackdown on the opposition, independent activists and journalists.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , UNICEF , OHCHR
With no let-up to the ongoing Israel-Lebanon conflict, the UN human rights office on Tuesday called for an independent probe into an Israeli airstrike that hit an apartment block in northern Lebanon a day earlier that left a reported 22 dead.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNECE , UNDP , UNHCR , IFRC , OHCHR , FAO , WFP , ICRC
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Development Programme, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
1
1
2
Edited News | OHCHR , WHO
Amid reports of intensifying Israeli bombing in Lebanon and Gaza overnight and continuing Hezbollah rocket fire into Israel, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, called on Friday for an end to the “killing, destruction [and] bellicose posturing” by those in power.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNHCR , OHCHR , WHO , UNICEF , OCHA , UNCTAD
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and United Nations Trade and Development.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk updates the Human Rights Council in Geneva on the situation in Haiti
1
1
1
Edited News | HRC
Volker Türk, Haut-Commissaire des Nations Unies aux droits de l'Homme au sujet de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC)