UN report 2016: Ukraine Indiscriminate killing of civilians and soldiers whistle blowers
UN report on 2014-16 killings in Ukraine highlights “rampant impunity” Killings in Ukraine
14 July 2016
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: Human Rights Council Begins Urgent Debate on Situation of Human Rights in Ukraine Stemming from the Russian Aggression
Russian | Ukranian
GENEVA/KYIV (14 July 2016) – A new UN reportreleased Thursday describes the widespread killings that have taken place in Ukraine since January 2014 and highlights the very limited accountability that has taken place.
The report, which was prepared by the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine*, states that the armed conflict in certain districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, “fuelled by the inflow of foreign fighters and weapons from the Russian Federation, accounts for the majority of violations of the right to life in Ukraine over the last two years,” claiming up to 2,000 civilian lives.Close to 90 per cent of conflict-related civilian deaths have resulted from indiscriminate shelling of residential areas.
Nobody has taken responsibility for any civilian deaths caused by the conduct of hostilities, the report says, adding that some of the killings may amount to war crimes and/or crimes against humanity.
In general, it concludes, “impunity for killings remains rampant, encouraging their perpetuation and undermining prospects for justice.”
The 20-page report, which has an additional 31-page annex describing more than 60 specific cases, focuses mainly on cases of alleged killings of civilians, and people otherwise protected under international humanitarian law, in the conflict zone while no armed hostilities were taking place in the immediate vicinity of the incidents.
Significant numbers of people, includingcivilians, have also been summarily executed or died in custody, with most such killings occurring in 2014 and early 2015. According to the report, armed groups mainly executed individuals who had, or were believed to have, vocal ‘pro-unity’ views or to support Ukrainian forces,while Ukrainian forces targeted people based on their alleged affiliationwith, or support for, armed groups, or for their “separatist” or “pro-Russian” views.
Numerous allegations of executions of Ukrainian soldiers and elements of armed groups who had surrendered or were hors de combat have also been reported, although the full scale of the phenomenon is hard to assess, the report says.
The report notes that there was a widespread lack of discipline inhastily assembled armed groups and within the Ukrainian forces, which included many rapidly mobilized soldiers and volunteer battalions. A significant number of people known to be criminals also joined one side or the other. These factors led to “an unbridled rule of the gun with armed men readily resorting to violence towards civilians, especially to those who ‘disobeyed’ their orders.”
The Government has investigated and prosecuted some perpetrators of summary executions from its own ranks, the report says. In some cases, however, investigations are slow or “protracted deliberately so that alleged perpetrators are provided with opportunities to escape justice.”
Dozens of people have also died while in custody in the territories controlled by the armed groups. Allegations concerning the death of people in Government custody have also been received, with =most deaths allegedly caused by torture and ill-treatment==, or by inadequate or lack of medical assistance.
The report also documents killings within thearmed groups and Government forces. This includes at least121 cases of “intentional homicide” of Ukrainian servicemen, some of whom were whistle-blowers who revealed the misconduct of Ukrainian forces in the conflict zone. Armed groups have, in some cases, resorted to execution as a punishment for crimes or disciplinary acts for misconduct in their own ranks.
The report also highlights the large number of deaths that occurred during mass assemblies, especially during the Maidan and Odesa events for which accountability has so far remained very limited.
The report also highlights the violence that took place on 2 May 2014, in Odesa, during which 48 people died as a result of clashes between ‘pro-unity’ and ‘pro-federalism’ groups.
The lack of accountability remains widespread in Ukraine, despite efforts by the Government to bring perpetrators from its own ranks to justice and the pre-trial investigations by the Office of the Chief Military Prosecutor into cases of killing, torture and ill-treatment by members of the armed groups of the self-
https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Countries/UA/OHCHRThematicReportUkraineJan2014-May2016_EN.pdf