UN regrets world 'jaded' over war in Ukraine

Europe 1 with AFP // Photo credits: MICHAEL M. SANTIAGO / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP 12:41 p.m., December 19, 2023

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has regretted that the world is "jaded" in the face of the war in Ukraine where war crimes continue to be "committed mainly by the forces of the Russian Federation". The evidence gathered by the Office of the High Commissioner "continues to point to flagrant violations of international human rights law, serious violations of international humanitarian law and war crimes, mainly committed by the forces of the Russian Federation," Volker Türk denounced on Tuesday in Geneva during a debate on Russia's invasion of Ukraine before members of the Human Rights Council.

"The situation in Ukraine seems to have been added to a litany of ongoing suffering, and the world's attention seems jaded by the multiple crises we are facing," Türk said. The Office of the High Commissioner has listed "142 cases of summary executions of civilians since February 2022, in territories controlled by the Russian armed forces or occupied by the Russian Federation."

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"Adequate measures to protect civilians"

"In the occupied territories, we have documented widespread torture and ill-treatment of detainees, including sexual violence, as well as a large number of enforced disappearances," Türk said. In addition, he accused the Russian Federation of failing to take "adequate measures to protect civilians" and civilian infrastructure "from the effects of its attacks". In particular, Volker Türk asked Ukraine to revise some of its laws to bring them into line with international law, including the law on persons who collaborated with the Russian occupation authorities. It also calls for the protection of religious freedom.

Almost 22 months after the start of the war unleashed by Moscow, the debate took place along now well-established lines between Ukraine's allies and Russia's fewer allies in the Council, and without the spectacular actions that may have marked the Council's sessions at the beginning of the conflict. France, Germany and the United Kingdom, through their ambassadors, but also the United States and the European Union as a whole, reiterated their support for the fight of the Ukrainians and promised to continue to support it.

The representative of Russia rejected the conclusions of the High Commissioner's report, accusing it of "hypocrisy" and called for the Office of the High Commissioner "to inform about the multiple violations of human rights in Ukraine and not just to be obsessed with a specific aspect." Syria, Venezuela and North Korea have echoed this sentiment and given their support to Russia. Many speakers were particularly worried about the deportation of some 20,000 Ukrainian children to Russia, according to figures put forward by Kiev. On behalf of France, Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont denounced "a particularly cruel practice."