UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence with Danielle Bell, head Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, on strike of hospital in Ukraine
/
4:16
/
MP4
/
620.7 MB
Transcripts
Teleprompter
Download

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence and Danielle Bell, head of Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, on strike against hospital in Kyiv.

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence made the following comment on the latest attacks in Ukraine, specifically on the children’s hospitals in Kyiv.

“Last night, the UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk described as abominable the deadly blasts at two Kyiv hospitals that treat children and women,” Jeremy Laurence said.

The Russian Federation launched a wave of strikes on densely populated areas of Ukraine, including the cities of Kryvi Rih, Pokrovsk and Dnipro. As well as the hospitals, we have received reports key energy infrastructure facilities were hit.

The High Commissioner deplored the attacks, and called on those with influence to do everything in their power to ensure these attacks stop immediately.

“Civilians must be protected, and the laws of war strictly adhered to. There must be prompt, thorough and independent investigations into these latest grave attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, and those responsible must be held to account,” Laurence said.

Danielle Bell, head of our Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, joined the briefing from Kyiv.

I will begin with the attack on Okhmatdyt children's hospital because this is one of the most egregious attacks that we've seen since the onset of the full-scale invasion,” she said.

Okhmatdyt is a children's specialist hospital where families from across the country bring their children for treatment of serious medical conditions such as cancer and kidney disease. My team spent most of yesterday at the incident site yesterday speaking with medical staff, parents of children and residents that live in the area surrounding the hospital,” Bell said.

Analysis of the video footage and assessment made at the incident site indicates a high likelihood that the children's hospital suffered a direct hit rather than receiving damages due to an intercepted weapons system. Of course, as was said earlier, this must be investigated. At the time of the attack, 670 child patients, mainly inpatients, were there together with more than a thousand medical staff,” she said.

The attack also damaged the intensive care, surgical and oncology wards. And 600 children had been transferred to other hospitals in Kyiv city and areas in Kyiv province. This terrible attack shows that nowhere is safe in Ukraine. Yesterday's massive attack across the country involved at least 38 different cruise missiles and ballistic rockets of various types, as well as drones in multiple waves throughout the day,” she said.

Asked for more details on it being a possible direct hit, Bell said:We haven't determined. We've assessed the factors that suggest the likelihood that it was a direct hit of a KH-101 missile launched by the Russian Federation. The factors suggesting that it was a direct hit are based on video footage, which shows the technical specification of the type of weapon that was used. It shows the weapon directly impacting the hospital rather than being intercepted in the air. And thirdly, my military, our military expert, visited the site yesterday and observed damages at the site that were consistent with a direct hit,” said Bell.

It can take many years, as we've seen in other contexts. So what's absolutely crucial is that we keep attention on the situation in Ukraine, on the terrible attacks that are taking place across the country every day. And we will continue from our side the meticulous documentation that we are doing on the ground every day to ensure that accountability one day will be a reality,” Bell added.

ENDS

For more information and media requests, please contact:

In Geneva

Jeremy Laurence - +41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org

Liz Throssell - + 41 22 917 9296 / elizabeth.throssell@un.org

Tag and share

Twitter @UNHumanRights

Facebook unitednationshumanrights

Instagram @unitednationshumanrights

STORY: UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence and Danielle Bell, head of our Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, on strike against hospital in Kyiv

TRT: 04:16

SOURCE: UNOG/OHCHR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: English/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 09 July 2024 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

SHOTLIST

1. Exterior shots : Palais des Nations

2. Interior shot : Briefing room

3. SOUNDBITE (English)— Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Last night, the UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk described as abominable the deadly blasts at two Kyiv hospitals that treat children and women.”

4. Cutaways: Briefing room

5. SOUNDBITE (English)— Danielle Bell, head of our Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (OHCHR): “Civilians must be protected, and the laws of war strictly adhered to. There must be prompt, thorough and independent investigations into these latest grave attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, and those responsible must be held to account.

6. Cutaways: Briefing room

7. SOUNDBITE (English)— Danielle Bell, head of our Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (OHCHR): I will begin with the attack on Okhmatdyt children's hospital because this is one of the most egregious attacks that we've seen since the onset of the full-scale invasion.”

8. Cutaways: Briefing room

9. SOUNDBITE (English)— Danielle Bell, head of our Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (OHCHR): Okhmatdyt is a children's specialist hospital where families from across the country bring their children for treatment of serious medical conditions such as cancer and kidney disease. My team spent most of yesterday at the incident site yesterday speaking with medical staff, parents of children and residents that live in the area surrounding the hospital.”

10. Cutaways: Briefing room

11. SOUNDBITE (English)— Danielle Bell, head of our Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (OHCHR): Analysis of the video footage and assessment made at the incident site indicates a high likelihood that the children's hospital suffered a direct hit rather than receiving damages due to an intercepted weapons system. Of course, as was said earlier, this must be investigated. At the time of the attack, 670 child patients, mainly inpatients, were there together with more than a thousand medical staff.”

12. Cutaways: Briefing room

13. SOUNDBITE (English)— Danielle Bell, head of our Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (OHCHR): The attack also damaged the intensive care, surgical and oncology wards. And 600 children had been transferred to other hospitals in Kyiv city and areas in Kyiv province. This terrible attack shows that nowhere is safe in Ukraine. Yesterday's massive attack across the country involved at least 38 different cruise missiles and ballistic rockets of various types, as well as drones in multiple waves throughout the day.”

14. Cutaways: Briefing room

15. SOUNDBITE (English)— Danielle Bell, head of our Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (OHCHR): We haven't determined. We've assessed the factors that suggest the likelihood that it was a direct hit of a KH-101 missile launched by the Russian Federation. The factors suggesting that it was a direct hit are based on video footage, which shows the technical specification of the type of weapon that was used. It shows the weapon directly impacting the hospital rather than being intercepted in the air. And thirdly, my military, our military expert visited the site yesterday and observed damages at the site that were consistent with a direct hit.”

16. Cutaways: Briefing room

17. SOUNDBITE (English)— Danielle Bell, head of our Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (OHCHR): It can take many years, as we've seen in other contexts. So what's absolutely crucial is that we keep attention on the situation in Ukraine, on the terrible attacks that are taking place across the country every day. And we will continue from our side the meticulous documentation that we are doing on the ground every day to ensure that accountability one day will be a reality.”


Audio Files 1
Download UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence with Danielle Bell, head Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, on strike of hospital in Ukraine (Edited Story)
Download

Similar Stories

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on escalating violence in DRC

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on escalating violence in DRC ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday warned of the risk of the violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo escalating throughout the Great Lakes sub-region, following the recent takeover of Goma city by the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group.

DR Congo - Human Rights Council  Special Session

1

1

1

Edited News | HRC

DR Congo - Human Rights Council Special Session ENG FRA

UN human rights chief Volker Türk expressed profound concerns at the ongoing violent escalation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) caused by the ongoing Rwanda-backed M23 offensive. “If nothing is done, the worst may be yet to come, for the people of the eastern DRC, but also beyond the country’s borders,” he told a Special Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

US funding cuts impact - UNAIDS

1

1

1

Edited News | UNAIDS

US funding cuts impact - UNAIDS ENG FRA

US aid funding cuts create confusion, put HIV prevention at risk, says UNAIDS 

The US pause in foreign assistance funding has created “a lot of confusion” in community HIV prevention work, despite the waiver issued for HIV/AIDS programmes, the UN agency to combat AIDS (UNAIDS) said on Friday.

US aid funding cuts,  UNFPA - OCHA - UNOG

1

1

1

Edited News | UNFPA , OCHA , UNOG

US aid funding cuts, UNFPA - OCHA - UNOG ENG FRA

UN agencies offered a dire assessment on Tuesday about the global impact of deep cuts to grassroots humanitarian funding by the incoming US administration and reiterated calls for Washington to retain its position as a global aid leader.

OPT humanitarian update  - UNRWA

1

1

1

Edited News | UNRWA

OPT humanitarian update - UNRWA ENG FRA

While West Bank camp is destroyed, UNRWA delivers bulk of aid in Gaza

Large swathes of Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank have been completely destroyed following a series of controlled detonations by the Israeli security forces (ISF), the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said on Tuesday.

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Human Rights crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Human Rights crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo ENG FRA

The UN Human Rights Office on Friday raised the alarm about the growing human rights crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence and James Rodehaver on fourth year since the coup in Myanmar

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence and James Rodehaver on fourth year since the coup in Myanmar ENG FRA

At the UN bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights spokesperson Jeremy Laurence and the head of UN Human Rights Myanmar team James Rodehaver, describedunprecedented levels of killing in 2024, four years since the coup.

OPT Update UNRWA, WHO 31 January 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | WHO , UNRWA

OPT Update UNRWA, WHO 31 January 2025 ENG FRA

The largest UN agency in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, UNRWA, said on Friday that its staff are still helping the people of Gaza and the West Bank including East Jerusalem who depend on them “for their sheer survival”, a day after the Israeli parliament ban on its activities entered into force.

DRC humanitarian update OCHA - WFP - WHO

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , WFP , WHO

DRC humanitarian update OCHA - WFP - WHO ENG FRA

Goma: ‘Critical’ moment for population caught in crossfire – UN humanitarians

In eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), civilians caught up in heavy fighting face a “critical” 24 hours, with food and water running low and aid unable to enter, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.

Holocaust remembrance day

1

1

1

Edited News | UNOG

Holocaust remembrance day ENG FRA

Nazi death camp survivor Ivan Lefkovits shared harrowing testimony of his experiences on Monday to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day, with a timeless message for present and future generations: “Don't be neutral, especially not towards human suffering." 

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al Kheetan on Israeli operation in the occupied West Bank

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al Kheetan on Israeli operation in the occupied West Bank ENG FRA

The UN Human Rights Office on Friday said it was “deeply concerned by the use of unlawful lethal force in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank”, as part of an ongoing Israeli military operation.

UN Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani briefing on DRC

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani briefing on DRC ENG FRA

“We are deeply alarmed at the heightened risk of an attack by the M23 armed group on Goma, the capital of North Kivu, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo,” Ravina Shamdasani said.