The United Nations Office at Geneva
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HRC57 - Human Rights in Ukraine - 08 October 2024
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14:19
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MP4
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897.9 MB
Speakers:
- Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights - Please, see attached PDF for V. Türk oral update on the findings in the report of OHCHR on human rights situation in Ukraine.
- Ms. Yevheniia Filipenko, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, gave his oral update on the findings in the report of OHCHR on human rights situation in Ukraine and statement of Ms. Yevheniia Filipenko, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations Office at Geneva at the Interactive Dialogue (ID) at the 57th Session of the Human Rights Council.
Teleprompter
Excellency distinguished colleagues. We will continue with the meeting
and we will now hold the interactive dialogue
on the situation of human rights in Ukraine.
The list of speakers will close in 15 minutes.
I now give the floor to Mister
Folk High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide an oral update.
Please. We have the floor,
Mister Vice President Excellence is distinguished delegates.
We are approaching 1000 days since the Russian
Federation's full scale armed attack on Ukraine,
a period marked by massive destruction, death and injury,
displaced and tormented families
and widespread violations of international law.
This war has quickly become a tragic, flagrant example
of the devastation of war on people, the environment
and a common future,
leaving a legacy of trauma and loss for generations to come.
July 2024
was the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since October 2022.
Between June and August,
my office verified 45% more civilian casualties
than in the previous three month period.
This increase is due to the 8 July large scale co
ordinated attack by the Russian Federation against targets across Ukraine.
Continued missile drone and aerial bomb strikes and continuing assaults
by Russian armed forces seeking to capture further Ukrainian territory.
At the same time,
insidious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law
continue in places of detention
hidden from the view of independent monitors.
The prohibition of torture
under international law
is absolute.
And yet
patterns of widespread and
systematic torture and ill treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war
at the hands of Russian captors
have been recounted to my office
across internment facilities in numerous regions within
occupied territory and the Russian Federation.
Since March 2023
when my office last issued a report on the treatment
of prisoners of war, we have interviewed 174 Ukrainian prisoners of war.
Almost all of them
have provided detailed
and consistent accounts
of torture or ill treatment
in custody of Russian forces throughout all stages of captivity.
Instances of torture are taking place
on a daily or weekly basis.
Minimum safeguards, which are meant to help prevent torture,
such as allowing prisoners to communicate with the outside world
access by independent monitors or routine medical exams
have been absent or ineffective.
The evidence gathered also suggests involvement of facility supervisors and
significant co ordination among various entities of the Russian Federation,
such as the Federal Security Service
and the Federal Penitentiary Service.
In a few cases when external officials visited places of internment,
the torture and ill treatment temporarily ceased
and conditions improved,
an indication that the authorities were aware of these practises.
Dehumanising rhetoric
has continued by public figures in the Russian Federation,
calling for inhumane treatment and even execution
of Ukrainian
POWs
and Russian service persons benefit from broad amnesty laws that fuel impunity,
torture and ill treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war
must end.
Perpetrators of this horrific practise must be held to account.
Mr Vice President.
Roughly half of the 205 Russian POWs
we interviewed since March 23 reported
torture or ill treatment by Ukrainian authorities
with 10 POWs
reporting sexual violence.
This generally took place during the initial stages of their captivity,
where Russian POWs
were held in transit places for several days.
In nearly all cases,
the torture and ill treatment stopped when
prisoners arrived at official places of internment,
where conditions generally met international standards.
I encourage Ukraine to ensure that POWs
are treated in accordance with international law,
at all stages of their captivity.
Access to places of internment
has enabled my office to engage directly with the Ukrainian authorities
and has encouraged an improvement in conditions which needs to be sustained.
Mister Vice President
The Russian armed forces continued their systematic
attacks on Ukrainian critical energy infrastructure,
launching at least four major waves of attacks over three months.
Increasingly against power generation facilities,
these attacks have significantly decreased
Ukraine's power generation capacity.
People already experienced rolling blackouts over the summer,
and the situation risks deteriorating over the brutal winter period
when demand increases.
This is a vicious way of harming civilians,
especially in a heavily urbanised country like Ukraine
with centralised electricity and heating systems.
Electricity is nothing short
of a lifeblood
for hospitals
otherwise forced to rely on backup generators for heating and water supply at homes
for elevators
critical to enabling older people or
people with disabilities to reach their apartments
for treating groundwater to avoid the
spread of infectious diseases.
This harm is entirely foreseeable, avoidable
and unacceptable. It must cease
Mister Vice president.
Before I close. I wish to draw
attention to a less visible side of this conflict.
Its pernicious damage to
and cost on the environment.
The war is steadily poisoning land
and natural habitats in Ukraine,
contaminating air, ground, water and soil,
including that used for agriculture.
Active fighting near nuclear power stations
and attacks on related infrastructures
increase the risk of nuclear instability and accidents
which could have serious transborder consequences.
Scientists warn that conflict can remake ecosystems entirely,
the full consequences of which are far from
unknown in Ukraine.
Efforts to seek accountability and towards peace
must also take full account of these concerns
in light of their deeply damaging long term effect
on Ukrainians today
and future generations.
Mr. Vice President,
The facts
of this terrible war are laid bare,
exposed and recorded on a daily basis by my team on the ground and many others.
I welcome the access and Co-operation that Ukraine
continues to provide to my team and look forward
to the timely renewal of the presence of my office.
My office has pursued access to territory occupied by the Russian Federation
and all affected areas in the Russian Federation
to be able to document and monitor the human rights situation.
I regret
that the Russian Federation has not granted such access until now.
independent access is the window to establishing facts in war
and to ensuring better protection of civilians.
It serves no one in this war
for disinformation and propaganda to spread,
nor in any other conflict in the world.
I urge the Russian Federation once again
to meet its international obligations
and to seize its armed attack immediately.
Thank you.
Thank you.
According to our practise,
we shall start by hearing from the delegations of the countries concerned.
I know that the Russian Federation does not wish
to take the floor as the country is concerned.
I
give the floor to the
representative of Ukraine.
Thank you,
Mister Vice President.
As we mark the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, we are witnessing a
grave breach by the Russian Federation of every
provision of these documents in my country.
The High Commissioner's Update and the officers
report provide ample evidence of this fact.
Moreover,
through its recent spike in missile terror
against Ukrainian people in our critical infrastructure,
Russia continues to trample on the UN charter and international law.
Time and again, Russia shows no regard for human life
mercilessly striking at the heart of our most vulnerable infrastructure.
Such as hospitals, schools and energy supplies.
With winter approaching, it seeks to plunge every Ukrainian into darkness and
by attacking our hydropower plants and energy facilities.
Russia also continues to expose the whole world to a nuclear threat
in complete disregard to the fact that any critical incident in
the energy system of Ukraine can lead to a nuclear disaster.
Russia's war takes a devastating toll on
the lives of millions of Ukrainian Children,
putting them in grave danger of physical and emotional harm.
Forcible transfers and deportations camps for political indoctrination,
military training, illegal adoption.
The Russian occupation has turned their worst nightmares
into reality.
The series of everyday tragedies in Ukraine demonstrate Russia's intent
to maintain a dangerously high level of threat to civilians,
treating them as priority targets of its war strategy.
These same motives guide the Russian military command to
issue orders for executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
We reiterate that any summer execution constitutes a war crime,
and it shall not be subject to any statute of limitations.
Ukraine will persist in seeking justice
until all perpetrators are held accountable.
High Commissioner. We value the particular attention drawn by the OR
to the drastic situation of Ukrainian
POWs and civilian detainees in Russia's captivity.
We encourage the high Commissioner to pursue its demands
for full and unimpeded access to all Ukrainians,
both
in the territory of the Russian Federation
and in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
To ensure their humane and dignified treatment. In line with IHL,
they must be protected from nonstop torture and ill treatment.
We call upon the OC
and relevant human rights procedures
to continue thorough monitoring and documenting
Russia's numerous human rights violations in the
sphere of freedom of religion and belief
through systematic repressions against religious communities which
are non aligned with the Russian Orthodox Church
or deemed disloyal to the Russian occupation authorities
in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine.
While Ukraine takes all necessary measures provided
by law and in conformity with its
international obligations to protect the rights and
freedoms of all citizens of Ukraine,
Russia continues to weaponize religion and use its Orthodox Church to justify
and sanctify war of aggression against Ukraine and
to infringe upon the spiritual independence of Ukraine.
Distinguished delegates.
How many more days will Ukrainians spend under the constant threats of their lives?
As Russia spares neither Children, the elderly, sick animals nor any other life.
How many more hours of air alerts will echo through Ukrainian cities?
The world's firm stance today plays a tremendous role
in saving lives and protecting human rights
through concerted efforts towards ending Russia's war.
We are grateful to all those who support Ukraine's
legitimate defensive actions with decisive and swift decisions.
Russia must be forced to seek peace
and not at Ukraine's expense, but a comprehensive,
just and lasting peace in line with the principles of the
UN charter and Ukraine's peace formula with full respect for international law
and Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial
integrity within internationally recognised borders.
While we note the presence of
Putin's envoy,
who is attending this meeting with the instructions to spread falsehoods,
we have doubts
that he will send a telegram to the Kremlin
conveying strong demands of the international community for Russia
to halt its unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine.
We also doubt that the cameras that they have
brought will show to the Russian public the truth
about Russia's war crimes and crimes against humanity
committed against Ukraine and its people.
I thank you,
thank you.
I now invite interested delegations to ask questions and to make
comments on the oral update provided by the High Commissioner.
The speaking time is one minute and 30 seconds for all
I give the floor to
Her Excellency Ms Maria Mal
ST
Minister for foreign Affairs of Sweden, on behalf of a group of countries.
Thank you, Mister President,
I have the honour
of delivering this statement on behalf of the Nordic Baltic countries.
Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.