UN GENEVA PRESS BRIEFING

23 September 2025

Civilian detainees subjected to violation since Russia’s full-scale attack on Ukraine

Jeremy Laurence, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), informed of the new OHCHR report, which showed that Russian authorities had subjected Ukrainian civilian detainees in occupied territory to torture and ill-treatment, including sexual violence, in a widespread and systematic manner. Russia had applied Russian criminal law in occupied territory, the report noted, ignoring the obligation under international humanitarian law to respect the laws in force in the occupied territory, unless absolutely prevented. The frequent disregard of legal and procedural safeguards had resulted in high numbers of arbitrary detentions and raised significant concerns about enforced disappearances. In territory under its control, Ukraine had detained mainly its own citizens on charges related to national security, including treason and espionage, the report said. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk stressed that it was essential that the human rights of civilian detainees, who had been severely impacted by this terrible conflict, be prioritised in any peace talks.

Danielle Bell, Head of the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU), speaking from Kyiv, said that civilian detention was a complex and often misunderstood issue. Civilians in detention faced a heightened risk of torture and abuse. Speaking of Russian detention of Ukrainian civilians, Ms. Bell said that Russia had disregarded international humanitarian law, subjecting numerous Ukrainian civilians for treason or criticizing invasion. Those targeted included human rights and civil activists. Since February 2022, Ukraine’s Prosecutor-General had recorded more than 15,000 Ukrainian civilian detentions by Russia, with at least 1,800 still in detention. Under international law, the occupying power could detain civilians, but only under strict conditions, something that Russia had disregarded. There was systematic and widespread mistreatment and torture of Ukrainian civilians by Russian authorities; more than 92 percent of interviewed former Ukrainian detainees had reported torture or ill-treatment. Since February 2022, HRMMU had documented 90 executions of civilians in detention and 36 civilian deaths in detention due to torture or poor conditions. Russian laws shielded Russian military personnel from accountability.

Speaking of civilian detention by Ukraine, Ms. Bell said that Ukraine had detained its own citizens accused of treason or sabotage; The increased number of conflict-related detainees - some 2,258 held by Ukraine in official pre-trial and penal facilities as of 21 July 2025, as well as 20,000 open cases – had strained Ukraine’s criminal justice system. Ukraine had largely followed its procedural safeguards, but concerns persisted; 117 of those detainees had reported torture or mistreatment when detained in 2022. Pre-trial detention was overused, and bail was rarely granted. Ms. Bell stressed the importance of the report, which put the spotlight on the continued use of torture; its public record could be drawn upon to keep the perpetrators accountable.

Full report is available here.

Responding to questions from the media, Ms. Bell said that there were some recorded instances of medical practitioners participating in ill-treatment or torture; denial of medical access had also been recorded. In the OHCHR report, 92 percent of the 216 Ukrainian civilians formerly detained by Russia had reported being tortured or ill-treated. Ms. Bell explained that the HRMMU had also interviewed detainees’ lawyers and family members. Torture had been documented in every region of occupied territories and various parts of the Russian Federation. On another question, Ms. Bell said that the interviewed sample was considered to be representative of the broader phenomenon, as it consistently showed that torture and ill-treatment had indeed happened across the occupied regions and Russia’s own territory. The recorded incidents were not random, and it would be impossible for the authorities not to know these incidents had taken place.

While there were instances of persons having died in Ukrainian custody, it was not established with certainty if they had died of torture, ill-treatment, or other causes. Ms. Bell explained that the UN Ombudsman’s Office estimated that there were 1,800 Ukrainian civilians currently detained by Russia; that number should be considered the bare minimum because documenting those cases was very difficult. This category included journalists, OSCE staff, or workers from the Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant, among others. Over 15,000 instances of detention of Ukrainian civilians by the Russian Federation since the beginning of the full-scale invasion had been recorded by Ukraine’s Prosecutor-General, and these figures were considered to be accurate. People were being detained and released every day in the occupied territories, which was why the numbers fluctuated. The way Russia was detaining Ukrainian civilians was inherently unlawful, reiterated Ms. Bell. The UN did not have access to places of detention in the occupied territories or Russia, even if it had been asking for access for years. All interviews had thus been conducted with the released detainees once they had returned to Ukrainian-controlled territories.

Cholera vaccination in Darfur

Hala Khudari, Acting Deputy World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Sudan, connecting from Port Sudan, stated that the cholera outbreak had started in late July 2024 in the state of Kassala and had now spread to all 18 states of Sudan. More than 113,600 cases and over 3,000 deaths had been reported from across the country, reaching a concerning case fatality ratio of 2.7 percent. Over the past year, similar surges of cases had been observed in White Nile and Khartoum among other states, resulting from the impact of the conflict and increased population movement compounded with severely limited basic services such as water, food and health.

With joint efforts among partners and other sectors, WHO had been successful in scaling up the response and controlling these outbreaks. The latest success had been in Khartoum, where reported cases had surged from 75 cases per day on to over 1,500, in just two weeks. With concerted interventions to control the outbreak cholera, the daily reported cases had then reverted to pre upsurge levels at 60 cases per day, a testament to the efforts of deployed WHO and health partner teams, strengthened surveillance, treatment of cases, and a targeted vaccination campaign, which had resulted in a steady decline of reported cases.

At the end of May, informed Ms. Khudari, the outbreak had reached Darfur for the first time since July 2024. Reported cases in Darfur continued to increase amid severe access constraints that were impeding the required scale of response. According to the latest update as of 21 September, 12,739 cases and 358 deaths had been reported from 36 of the 64 localities of the 5 Darfur States; in other words, 50 percent of the localities of the Darfurs were now reporting cases. WHO, with health partners, had been working diligently to control the outbreak with a focused effort to carry out a cholera vaccination campaign in the localities that reported the highest numbers of cholera cases. The campaign came at a critical time, when cholera cases in Darfur continued to appear at an alarming rate. Ms. Khudari explained that, while vaccination was a highly effective intervention, it was one part of a comprehensive cholera response, including surveillance, case management, water and sanitation and community engagement. WHO continued to coordinate with partners and other sectors to work jointly on all the elements of the response to control the outbreak.

Ricardo Pires, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), added that, according to UNICEF’s figures collaborated with the Federal Ministry of Health, there had been at least 380 recorded cholera deaths of children under five; 240 deaths of children between the age of five and ten; and 290 deaths of those between the age of 10 and 20.

Answering questions from the journalists, Ms. Khudari said that the WHO worked closely with the national authorities, namely the Federal Ministry of Health, to establish the number of cases and fatalities. As of 21 September, the national figures had reached over 3,000 deaths, reiterated Ms. Khudari, at the 2.7 percent case fatality rate. One of the biggest challenges was to deliver vaccines to those in need, considering long routes, insecurity, and the rainy season. Further vaccination campaigns would also depended on the availability of vaccines, said Ms. Khudari, adding that the Federal Ministry of Health had also submitted a request for a preventative campaign, which was now under consideration. In Darfur only, 12,700 cases and 358 deaths had been confirmed, but true figures could be higher. Fatality rates were higher in Darfur than the rest of the country, she warned.

Questions to the World Health Organization

Replying to a question, Tarik Jašarević, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that although some observational studies had suggested a possible association between prenatal exposure to acetaminophen (paracetamol) and autism, the evidence remained inconsistent. Several studies had found no such relationship. If the link between acetaminophen and autism were strong, it would likely have been consistently observed across multiple studies. This lack of replicability called for caution in drawing causal conclusions about the role of acetaminophen in autism. Medicines should always be used with caution during pregnancy, especially in the first three months. It was important for women to continue to follow the advice of their doctors or health workers, who could help assess individual circumstances and recommend necessary medicines.

WHO based its recommendations on science, said Mr. Jašarević in response to another question. When it came to vaccine scheduling, the WHO guidance had been adopted by all countries, and it remained essential for the wellbeing of every child and their communities. Every vaccine recommendation by the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE), was grounded on the rigorous review of evidence. Countries could tailor their specific vaccination programmes, explained Mr. Jašarević, but each missed dose increased the chance of contracting life-threatening diseases. There were some 62 million people living on the autism spectrum around the world, and more needed to be known about the causes of autism. Autism and autism spectrum disorders were among the many mental health and neurological conditions being discussed at the 4^th UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs and mental health.

WHO believed that the health authorities around the world were best placed to make relevant recommendations for their populations, and their science-based findings ought to guide policies everywhere. Vaccines saved lives and did not cause autism, as proven by science, emphasized Mr. Jašarević.

Announcements

Michele Zaccheo, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), informed that in New York, the high-level segment of the 80^th General Assembly would commence today. The Secretary-General’s remarks, in which he would appeal for an urgency of action, would be shared with the media.

The Security Council would also be meeting in New York today on the situations in the Middle East and Ukraine.

Today at 2 pm, the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua would hold a press conference to present its latest report to the Human Rights Council.

On 24 September at 2:30 pm, UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) would present its 2025 Review of Maritime Report, under embargo until 5 pm. Speakers would be Regina Asariotis, Chief, Trade Logistics Branch, and Hassiba Benamara, economist, Trade logistics branch, both at UNCTAD.

The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights would conclude its 78^th session on 26 September at 5:30 pm and issue its concluding observations on the six countries reviewed during this session: Russian Federation, Colombia, Chile, the Netherlands, Zimbabwe, and Lao PDR.

The Committee on Enforced Disappearances would begin at 3 pm today its review of the report of Benin.