Ukraine and allied countries on Thursday denounced before the UN an “endless list” of atrocities committed by Russia since the aggression began on February 24, at an extraordinary session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva rotated by Moscow.

At the meeting convened at the request of Ukraine, the 47 member countries of the Council must announce a draft resolution calling for an “investigation” by the United Nations international commission for Ukraine into serious human rights violations associated with Russian occupation troops.

According to the text, these abuses were committed in areas near kyiv, in Chernigov, Kharkov and Sumy between the end of February and March 2022 and the resolution aims to “call those responsible accountable.”

“Thousands of people from my country have lost their lives. Russia’s shelling and shooting are part of our daily lives,” Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova said at the opening of the session. , at a videoconference address.

The represents condemned torture, forced disappearances, sexual and gender -based violence.

“The list of Russian crimes is endless,” he denounced before showing the drawing made by a child who was raped in front of his mother where the black lines can be seen.

During the discussions, many diplomats allied with kyiv, but also UN officials, expressed their anger at the suffering of Ukrainians.

“Russia’s aggression involves discovering more frightening facts every day,” French ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont said. His British counterpart denounced Moscow’s “brutal campaign”.

“Crime of war”

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, who has already stated that the Russian army has committed actions that could be “war crimes” in Ukraine, indicated that her office will continue to verifying accusations.

“The extension of illegal executionsincluding indications of summary executions in the northern area of ​​kyiv, is surprising, “he said, noting that he so far has information on 300 cases.

“These killings of civilians often appear to have been deliberate, committed by soldiers and snipers. Some were killed as they were crossing a street and others they left their refugees in search of food and water. , “added the former president of Chile.

The UN High Commissioner also pointed out that they have documented 204 cases of compulsory disappearance (169 men, 34 women and 1 child) by Russian soldiers or armed groups supporting them.

The main victims were public employees, journalists, activists and retired soldiers.

Bachelet also denounced that the residents of Mariúpol have suffered “unimaginable horrors”.

The draft resolution calls for a report on human rights and the humanitarian situation in Mariupol, one of the cities besieged by Russia, at the 50th session of the Council from June 13 to July 8.

This is the first meeting focused on this issue since the UN General Assembly suspended Russia in early April from the international organization’s human rights body.

Moscow expects suspension by denying its status as a member of the Human Rights Council, but as a state it retains the right to participate as an observer nation.

Empty seat

This Thursday Russia had the right to ask the floor to respond, but decided to leave its country’s seat empty.

“The Russian delegation will not be legitimate in having this political show organized in the form of an extraordinary session,” the spokeswoman for Russia’s diplomacy, Maria Zajárova, announced this week.

On March 4, kyiv succeeded in approving in council a resolution that immediately created an independent international commission of inquiry.

The person appointed to lead the investigation, former Norwegian judge Erik Mose, who is a judge of the European Court of Human Rights and heads the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, indicated that the commission has already started its work but has not yet it is also a budget.

Source: AFP

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