Ukrainian commission condemns “torture rooms” for children in the Kherson region

The Human Rights Commissioner of the Ukrainian Parliament, Dmytro Loubinets, published a report this Thursday (15) revealing the existence of a makeshift prison where children are detained after being ill-treated in one of four “torture centers” controlled by Russian forces.

The Human Rights Commissioner of the Ukrainian Parliament, Dmytro Loubinets, published a report this Thursday (15) revealing the existence of a makeshift prison where children are detained after being ill-treated in one of four “torture centers” controlled by Russian forces.

Stéphane Siohan, RFI correspondent in Kiev

The plant will be located in the city of Kherson, which was retaken by the Ukrainian army last month. According to the document, minors were separated from adults by Russian troops. The Ukrainian commission found ten torture chambers.

One of them had a separate area known as the “child cell”. According to Dmytro Loubinets, there was only one carpet on the floor. The little ones were only allowed to drink water every other day and were rarely fed. The Commission received several testimonies confirming the final version presented in the document.

Children and adolescents would also be subjected to psychological torture. Their executioners said they had been abandoned by their parents and would not come for them. The Commission received several testimonies confirming the final version presented in the report.

One belongs to a 13-year-old boy who was arrested and tortured for taking pictures of the remains of destroyed Russian military equipment.

The Ukrainian commissioner has not yet officially released documents supporting the statements, but there were other allegations, supported by evidence of the existence of “camps” for youth in other regions, such as Lugansk.

summary executions

In the report published this Thursday (15) Thursday, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk revealed that hundreds of civilians were executed in the first weeks of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. war.

According to the report, at least 441 civilians died in only three regions of Ukraine between February 24, the date of the invasion, and April 6, 2022. Among them, crimes were committed in 102 cities in the Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy regions, of which 341 were men, 72 were women, 20 boys and eight girls. 88% of victims were subjected to extrajudicial killings.

massacres

On April 2, the discovery of mass graves in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kiev, brought to light the violations committed by Russian troops in Ukraine. The bodies of more than 400 civilians have been gathered from the streets of the city, which has witnessed the most violent clashes since the occupation of Ukraine by Russia. The massacre is being investigated by the ICC (International Criminal Court), which has the power to investigate possible war crimes.