The transfer of Ukrainian children to areas of Ukraine under the control of Moscow and to Russia constitutes a “crime of war“, a group of UN investigators said this Thursday, who also denounced possible crimes against humanity.
In its first written report since Russia began its offensive against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the UN Commission of Inquiry concludes that “situations examined regarding removal and deportation of minorswithin Ukraine and the Russian Federation, respectively, violate international humanitarian law and constitute a war crime.”
According to Kiev, 16,221 children were deported to Russia until the end of February this year, but the Commission has not been able to verify these figures.
He stressed that Russian officials have taken legal and political steps regarding the transfer of Ukrainian children and that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree in May 2022 to facilitate the granting of Russian citizenship to some minors.
Prosecutors also accused the Russian government of committing possible “crimes against humanity”.
“The commission found out waves of attacks committed by the Russian Armed Forces since October 10, 2022 against the energy infrastructure of Ukraine and the use of torture by the Russian authorities could constitute a crime against humanity,” he said, recommending the opening of further investigations.
Illegal detention of boys
The group found out “a widespread pattern of illegal detention” in areas controlled by the Russian Armed Forces, against several people, including women and children.
Of the people detained in these “specialized facilities” located in Ukraine and Russia, some categories were systematically torturedaccording to the researchers.
A former detainee was beaten as “punishment for speaking Ukrainian” and for “failing to remember the words of the anthem of the Russian Federation,” the commission said.
A type of torture that could “constitute crimes against humanity” that should be the subject of further investigations, say the investigators in a statement.
The Commission also sought to verify whether the bombing and siege of Mariupol in south-eastern Ukraine could be considered a crime against humanity.
However, he concluded that there was no evidence to reach this conclusion, since the investigators they were unable to access the Donetsk regionwhere Mariupol is located, a port city besieged for months by the Russian army until it fell into their hands in May 2022.
The Commission recommended that the case be investigated further.
The group was created last year by the UN Human Rights Council, whose 47 member states are due to decide in April whether or not to extend their mandate.
Until now, the Commission visited 56 cities and questioned 348 women and 247 men. Its investigators have inspected destroyed sites and places of burial and torture.
According to them, the evidence collected shows that the authorities “committed a wide range” of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, also called the “laws of war”.
“Many of them constitute war crimes and include deliberate killingsattacks against civilians, illegal imprisonment, torture, rape, forced displacement e deportations of children“, the Commission said.
Furthermore, he indicated that he had reported “a small number of violations committed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine”, two of which were classified as war crimes, in which Russian prisoners of war were killed, wounded and tortured.
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Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.