UN: Kiev authorities must investigate the facts of torture committed by Ukrainian battalions in the east of the country
“The monitoring mission received reports of human rights violations committed by territorial defense battalions under the Ministry of Defense and special battalions under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This includes cases of arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and torture. ”- the report says.
“Allegations of such activities by these volunteer battalions must be investigated, and those responsible must be held accountable- noted in the document.
“In addition to this, the relevant ministries should better control the volunteer battalions, in particular, instructing them in the field of international humanitarian law”- indicate the experts of the organization.
The report states that “from mid-April to 16 of August, the security service of Ukraine, as well as members of the said battalions, detained over a thousand people in Donbass who were accused of violating Ukraine’s territorial integrity or terrorist activities.
“The cases examined by the monitoring mission suggest that during these arrests criminal procedural law was violated, especially when detentions were committed by volunteer battalions”- note the authors of the report.
They also draw attention to the fact that the right of the detainees “to the presumption of innocence and the right to privacy” was violated, when later videos with their images appeared on television and on the Internet.
«According to the Criminal Code, illegal detention is a crime, and as a result, an illegally detained person must be released immediately. It does not seem to be the case with arrests tracked by the monitoring mission. ”, - the authors emphasize.
In addition, the document draws attention to the fact that the law-enforcement structures of Ukraine “turn a blind eye to the actions of supporters of the Kiev authorities”. As an example, experts described the case of the detention of militants of the Right Sector in the Transcarpathian region, when an entire arsenal of rifle gunmen was found in their car weapons, grenades and explosives. "And although a criminal investigation was initiated into the illegal possession of weapons, the suspects were released the same day. ”- note the authors.
According to the data in the report, from July 16 to August 17 in eastern Ukraine “at least 1,2 thousand people were killed and at least 3250 were injured. Thus, on average, 36 people died per day, and 98 were injured. ”
In total, “since the beginning of the armed conflict in mid-April, 2220 people have died in the battles in the east of the country, among them at least 23 children. 5956 people were injured, including at least 38 children. ”
According to experts, about half of the population have left Donetsk and Lugansk. "The population remaining in the administrative centers is estimated at the level of 200-500 thousand in Donetsk and about 250 thousand in Lugansk"- the report says.
According to the NTV channel, the UN monitoring mission in Ukraine was created in March of this year “to collect information on possible human rights violations”. Previous reports were distributed monthly by the mission, starting in April.
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