 Statement by the Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Matilda Bogner, delivered on March 24 at the launch of OHCHR’s 35th report on the human rights situation in Ukraine and a thematic report on the treatment of prisoners of war. |
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
On behalf of the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, I would like to welcome those present here and those joining us online.
As many of you will know, our job is to document violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. Today, we are launching two reports: one is on the treatment of prisoners of war and the other covers the overall human rights situation in Ukraine over a 6 month period up to 31 January 2023.
IMPACT OF HOSTILITIES ON THE CIVILIAN POPULATION
The war has come at a horrendous human cost. As of this week, we have documented that more than 8,000 civilians have been killed and almost 14,000 injured. More than 90% were caused by missiles, explosive weapons or mines, and explosive remnants of war. The actual figures are unfortunately considerably higher.
RIGHT TO LIFE, LIBERTY AND SECURITY OF PERSONS
In occupied areas of Ukraine, we have documented summary executions and attacks on individual civilians by Russian armed forces and the pervasive use of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances.
Since 24 February 2022, we have documented 621 cases of enforced disappearances and arbitrary detention of civilians by Russian armed forces. Among the 127 that we interviewed after their release, 90% reported that members of the Russian security forces tortured and ill-treated them while in detention, in some cases including sexual violence. Five of these civilians were boys, between 14 and 17 years old, who had been forcibly disappeared by Russian armed forces and subjected to ill-treatment or torture.
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