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
1
Press Conferences , Edited News | HRC
Heavy fighting in Sudan continues to escalate as a “direct result” of the continued flow of arms into the country meaning that the war is far from over, top independent human rights investigators said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | HRC , WHO , UNWOMEN , WMO , ICRC , UNCTAD
Rolando Gómez, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section at the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives from the World Health Organization, International Committee of the Red Cross, United Nations Women, United Nations Trade and Development, the Human Rights Council, and the World Meteorological Organization.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
More Gazans killed trying to get food, healthcare near to ‘full disaster’
Gaza’s health system is at breaking point, overwhelmed time and again by scores of patients killed or injured near aid distribution sites, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
La situation en République démocratique du Congo est aujourd’hui encore plus grave et alarmante, a averti lundi le Haut-Commissaire des Nations Unies aux droits de l’homme Volker Türk.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Monday delivered his global update to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, highlighting key issues and trends, and the human rights situation in some 60 countries.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNDP
As diplomatic efforts continue to end fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN development agency (UNDP) issued an appeal on Friday on behalf of people uprooted by the violence to help them rebuild their lives and livelihoods.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | ILO , OCHA , UNCTAD , UNODA , OCHA , UNDP , WHO
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the representatives and spokespersons of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, and the International Labour Organization.
1
1
Press Conferences | HRC
59th regular session of the Human Rights Council (16 June to 9 July 2025)
1
1
1
Press Conferences | ILO , WFP , UNICEF , ITU , UNHCR
Rolando Gómez, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section at the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons and representatives of the World Food Programme, the International Telecommunication Union, the International Labour Organization, Giga Initiative, and the United Nations Refugee Agency.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
The very real risk of famine continues to stalk Sudan’s communities impacted by war, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday, in an appeal for more funding to support immediate needs and boost longer-term recovery across the country.
1
1
Edited News | UNOG
What can each one of us do to save the planet, asks Yann Arthus-Bertrand on World Environment Day
The last documentary film of legendary nature photographer, documentary director and environmental activist “Nature: The Call for Reconciliation” looks for an answer.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
“Deadly attacks on distraught civilians trying to access the paltry amounts of food aid in Gaza, are unconscionable. For a third day running, people were killed around an aid distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. This morning, we have received information that dozens more people were killed and injured,” Jeremy Laurence UN Human Rights spokesperson said at the biweekly press briefing in Geneva.