The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on 1000 days since Russian Federation launched full-scale attack on Ukraine
“Over the past two days, at least 30 civilians have reportedly been killed in a series of deadly strikes in residential areas in Sumy City, Odesa and Hlukhiv. In the very latest attack in Hlukhiv, which occurred late last night, nine civilians, including a child, were reportedly killed, and 11, including two children, injured. Search and rescue operations are ongoing,” he said.
“On Monday, the Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Danielle Bell, visited several locations in Zaporizhzhia that had recently been struck by Russian glide bombs. These weapons carry large amounts of explosive material which – when deployed in cities and other populated areas – cause extensive civilian casualties and damage to civilian property,” Laurence added.
“Among the sites visited was an oncology centre hit by a glide bomb on 7 November at 2:30 PM, where cancer patients were undergoing chemotherapy at the time of the attack. The medical centre sustained severe damage and is now undergoing repairs,” Laurence stated.
Bell also visited the site of an apartment building where half of the structure was destroyed by another glide bomb, also on 7 November. In this incident, 10 people lost their lives.
“Colleagues in our Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine later spoke with a man whose home had been destroyed after two vehicles, thrown through the air by the blast wave on the same day, struck his house. Next door, a family suffered a devastating loss: their 20-year-old son was killed in the attack. His mother, who was severely injured, remains hospitalized. The family’s two-storey home, the largest in the neighborhood, was almost completely levelled by the glide bomb’s direct impact,” he said.
“As the High Commissioner has said, it has been 1,000 days too many of senseless pain and suffering. Violations of human rights have become the order of the day, both in the conduct of hostilities and in areas under occupation,” Laurence stated
“We call on all parties to ensure the safety and protection of civilians. Effective measures must also be taken to fully and impartially investigate where there are credible allegations of violations. The violence must stop – for the sake of the people of Ukraine, the people of Russia, and the world,” he said.
“The High Commissioner repeats his call on the Russian Federation to cease immediately its armed attack and to withdraw all of its military forces from Ukraine. Russia must meet its international obligations under the UN Charter, the order of the International Court of Justice and other applicable law,” Laurence stated
ENDS
For more information and media requests, please contact
In Geneva:
Liz Throssell + 41 22 917 9296 / elizabeth.throssell@un.org
Jeremy Laurence - + 41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org
Tag and share - Twitter: @UNHumanRights and Facebook: unitednationshumanrights
STORY: UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on 1000 days since the Russian Federation launched its full-scale armed attack on Ukraine
TRT: 04:13
SOURCE: UNOG / OHCHR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: English/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 19 November 2024 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Exterior shot:
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “ Today marks the grim milestone of 1,000 days since the Russian Federation launched its full-scale armed attack on Ukraine. Our Office has verified that at least 12,162 civilians have been killed since 24 February 2022, among them 659 children. At least another 26,919 civilians have been injured.”
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “ Over the past two days, at least 30 civilians have reportedly been killed in a series of deadly strikes in residential areas in Sumy City, Odesa and Hlukhiv. In the very latest attack in Hlukhiv, which occurred late last night, nine civilians, including a child, were reportedly killed, and 11, including two children, injured. Search and rescue operations are ongoing.”
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “On Monday, the Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Danielle Bell, visited several locations in Zaporizhzhia that had recently been struck by Russian glide bombs. These weapons carry large amounts of explosive material which – when deployed in cities and other populated areas – cause extensive civilian casualties and damage to civilian property .”
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Among the sites visited was an oncology centre hit by a glide bomb on 7 November at 2:30 PM, where cancer patients were undergoing chemotherapy at the time of the attack. The medical centre sustained severe damage and is now undergoing repairs .”
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Colleagues in our Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine later spoke with a man whose home had been destroyed after two vehicles, thrown through the air by the blast wave on the same day, struck his house. Next door, a family suffered a devastating loss: their 20-year-old son was killed in the attack. His mother, who was severely injured, remains hospitalized. The family’s two-storey home, the largest in the neighborhood, was almost completely levelled by the glide bomb’s direct impact .”
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “As the High Commissioner has said, it has been 1,000 days too many of senseless pain and suffering. Violations of human rights have become the order of the day, both in the conduct of hostilities and in areas under occupation .”
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “We call on all parties to ensure the safety and protection of civilians. Effective measures must also be taken to fully and impartially investigate where there are credible allegations of violations. The violence must stop – for the sake of the people of Ukraine, the people of Russia, and the world .”
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “The High Commissioner repeats his call on the Russian Federation to cease immediately its armed attack and to withdraw all of its military forces from Ukraine. Russia must meet its international obligations under the UN Charter, the order of the International Court of Justice and other applicable law .”
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
The UN human rights office (OHCHR) on Friday called for an end to continuing expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, where “unchecked” settler violence has surged since the war in Gaza began more than two years ago.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
The crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to worsen amid ongoing fighting that has driven tens of thousands of people from their homes and created acute hunger, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
Gaza: One million receive food parcels as humanitarians race to ‘push back hunger’
Food is slowly returning to the shelves in Gaza amid “apocalyptic scenes” but supplies are still desperately inadequate, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday, as they issued fresh calls for wider access and continued financial support.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango today told the bi-weekly UN press briefing in Geneva of more details that are emerging on the atrocities committed in El Fasher, in Sudan during and after its takeover by the Rapid Support Forces.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango made the following comment on Friday at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani made the following comment on Friday at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , WHO
Sudan: UN Raises Alarm Over Mass Atrocities in El Fasher as Survivors Report Executions, Killings and Rapes
More details continue to emerge about atrocities committed during and after the fall of El Fasher to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan on 23 October. Since the powerful paramilitary group made a major incursion into the city last week, the UN Human Rights Office has received “horrendous accounts of summary executions, mass killings, rapes, attacks against humanitarian workers, looting, abductions and forced displacement,” said Seif Magango, spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
Ukraine: Russian attacks on energy terrorize population as winter starts; could trigger major ‘crisis within crisis’
The UN’s top aid official in Ukraine expressed concern on Friday about “continuous attacks” on energy production sites and distribution facilities.
1
1
1
Edited News | HRC
Navi Pillay Retires After Decades Defending Human Rights and Pursuing Justice
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The telecommunications shutdowns in Afghanistan in September had serious and far-reaching impacts on people’s lives, according to a briefing paper published today by the UN Human Rights Office and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence at the UN Geneva press briefing made the following comment on the ASEAN declaration on the right to a healthy environment.
1
1
1
Edited News | IFRC , OCHA , WMO
‘Catastrophic’ Hurricane Melissa hours from landfall in Jamaica as humanitarians rush to save lives
Millions in Jamaica and across the Caribbean are bracing for massive impact from Hurricane Melissa on Tuesday as the UN and partners are warning of a “severe” and “immediate” humanitarian threat.