Eric Mose, head of Ukraine’s independent, international commission of inquiry, told the Human Rights Council on Monday that torture of civilians and prisoners of war had been documented in occupied territories of Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
“We have collected evidence of sexual violence being used as a form of torture, primarily with detained male victims, and women being targeted and raped in Russian-controlled villages.”
The Human Rights Council appointed the three-member commission two years ago to assess the serious impact of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
The commission has previously made clear in its reports that cases of torture by the Russian military were widespread and carried out in a systematic manner.
According to the Investigative Commission, Russian military forces tortured prisoners and civilians in Ukrainian territories under their control, using personnel coordinated across the Russian Federation. Sexual violence was a form of torture in all detention centers.
Brutal treatment
The independent commission cited testimony from former prisoners, who said prison staff told them they had received orders to brutalize them.
In some detention centers, higher officials either gave such orders, or condoned such incidents and did not take steps to stop them.
Former prisoners held at a correctional facility in Olenivka, Ukraine, said that on July 29, 2022, an explosion there killed many prisoners of war.
But despite this, the seriously injured prisoners were not given medical care. The detained Ukrainian military doctors were treating and caring for them at night without any necessary equipment and with a very limited amount of medical kits.
want justice
Eric Mose said that these incidents of human rights violations have had a severe impact on the victims and it will be difficult for them to recover from this trauma.
He said, justice must be ensured for the victims, and therefore investigations must continue, the culprits must be identified, accountability must be determined and comprehensive support must be ensured for the victims.
The Independent Commission is continuing its efforts to collect data on the use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas.
In this context, attacks on medical institutions, cultural properties, residential buildings and supermarkets located in areas controlled by the Ukrainian government are being investigated.
Eric Mose said Russia has carried out a series of attacks on energy facilities in Ukraine, causing millions of people to lose power and suffer hardship.