Speaking in the capital Kyiv after a four-day official visit to the country, Volker Türk said the scale of damage and devastation he witnessed in Izium was “shocking”.
In Bucha, north of Kyiv, where the sight of civilians lying dead on the streets sparked international outrage soon after Russian forces left the area in March, Mr Turk said people’s wounds “remained”. can still be touched”.
Future ‘very worrying’
He added that he feared for everyone caught up in the “long and bleak winter ahead”, while confirming that the consequences of the human rights war in Ukraine were devastating.
“The prognosis is very worrying,” said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, adding that his Office continues to receive information about war crimes “every day”.
“Information continues to emerge about mass executions, torture, arbitrary detention, forced disappearances, and sexual violence against women, girls and men,” he noted.
The High Commissioner’s visit coincided with the release of a new report on the killings of civilians by the United Nations Human Rights Watch in Ukraine.
‘Intentional’ murders
The report is expected to document the fate of 441 civilians in the northern regions – Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy – which were under Russian control until early April.
UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine Türk said he was also working to corroborate allegations of other killings in these areas and in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions recently recaptured by Ukrainian forces.
Several people were killed “chopping firewood or buying groceries”, the UN’s head of rights noted, adding that there were “strong indications that summary executions were recorded”. in the report, constituting a war crime as intentional homicide”.
On the issue of prisoners of war, the UN’s head of rights stressed that they must be treated humanely “at all times”. International law only allows them to be prosecuted if they are suspected of committing war crimes, he continued.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, visits Bucha in Ukraine.
Urgent need is growing
Türk said that as a direct result of the Russian invasion on February 24, 17.7 million people now need humanitarian assistance and 9.3 million need food and livelihood assistance.
He added that a third of the population has been forced to leave their homes, 7.9 million people have left the country – the majority are women and children – and 6.5 million people have been internally displaced.
From February 24 to December 4, 2022, the United Nations human rights office, OHCHRrecorded 17,181 confirmed civilian casualties in Ukraine: 6,702 dead and 10,479 wounded.
“I would like to stress that the most effective way to stop the continuing catalog of cruelty is to end this senseless war – in line with uncharted and international law,” emphasized the High Commissioner. “It is my earnest wish that all Ukrainians enjoy the right to peace.”
Brutal Deaths: United Nations Monitoring Mission
In a press release issued afterwards on Wednesday, the head of the United Nations Dong Nhan Quyen Association– designated monitoring mission, Matilda Bogner, said the summary executions examined in the report could constitute war crimes, noting that her team in Bucha recorded the killings of 73 civilians (54 men, 16 women, 2 men and 1 woman) during that time. during the reporting period, and is in the process of corroborating an additional 105 alleged murders.
Brief executions are usually carried out after security checks by the Russian armed forces. “Just a text message, a piece of camouflage or a record of previous military service can have serious consequences,” she said.
The report states that the United Nations has, to date, recorded the violent deaths of 441 civilians (341 men, 72 women, 20 men and eight women) in three regions in just the first six weeks of the war. Russian invasion.
The report warns the actual numbers are “likely to be significantly higher” as work is still underway to corroborate an additional 198 murders that occurred in the Russian-occupied regions of Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy in the past year. the first stage of the attack.
Ms Bogner said civilians were targets on the roads when moving within or between settlements, including when trying to flee wars.
The report looks at 100 murders in more detail. Of these, 57 summary executions (48 men, 7 women and 2 boys). Thirty of them took place in custody while the remaining 27 victims were “killed on the spot, shortly after being controlled by Russian forces”, the press release states.
“Russian soldiers take civilians to temporary detention places and then execute them in prison. Many victims’ bodies were found with their hands tied behind their backs and gunshot wounds to the head,” the head of the delegation said.
The report found that men and boys accounted for 88% of all mass execution victims, suggesting that men were disproportionately targeted based on their gender.
“Much more remains to be done to hold those responsible accountable,” said the delegation, adding that the United Nations human rights office, OHCHRfound no information that Russian authorities were actively investigating or prosecuting any related cases.
Ms. Bogner called on the Russian authorities to promptly investigate all allegations of violations of international law and bring those responsible to justice.
