Ukraine, Russia accused of UN 'summary executions' of prisoners of war

Ukrainian soldier during a battle with Russian troops near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Friday, March 24, 2023. (Illustrative image). © LIBKOS / AP

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The UN on Friday (March 24th) accused Ukrainian and Russian forces of committing dozens of summary executions of prisoners of war during the Russian invasion of Ukraine and ill-treatment.

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We are deeply concerned by the summary execution of 25 Russian prisoners of war and hors de combat " as well as that of "15 Ukrainian prisoners of war," said Matilda Bogner, head of the UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine.

According to her, the UN has documented these executions of Russians by Ukrainian armed forces, "often" perpetrated "immediately after capture on the battlefield". The UN is also aware of five investigations conducted by Kiev involving 22 victims, but "we are not aware of any prosecution of the perpetrators" of these crimes, she added.

Regarding the executions of 15 Ukrainian prisoners of war "shortly after their capture" by the Russian armed forces, 11 of them were carried out by the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, said Matilda Bogner.

Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Kiev and Moscow have accused each other of mistreating prisoners amounting to war crimes.

► Read also: EU: the agreement on ammunition deliveries to Ukraine validated at the summit of 27

Reprisals and punishments

In a report published on Friday 24 March, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission claimed that Ukrainian forces had subjected Russian prisoners of war to death threats, mock executions or threats of sexual violence.

In several cases, the beatings were "purely retaliation," according to the report. "In some cases, officers beat prisoners of war saying 'It's for Butcha,'" referring to a town near Kiev where Russian forces have been accused of committing atrocities. "Before the interrogation, they showed me an axe handle covered in blood as a warning," said a Russian prisoner of war quoted in the report, who said he was tortured with electric shocks.

The report also denounced the ill-treatment suffered by Ukrainian prisoners at the hands of Russian forces: torture, denial of medical care that sometimes led to death, sexual violence, denial of access to water and food. Ukrainian POWs said they were tortured and ill-treated for information or punishment. They said they were beaten with shovels, stabbed, subjected to electric shocks and strangled.

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Some of them have lost teeth or fingers, broken ribs, fingers or nose " says the report. "They didn't just beat us, they broke us. They used their fists, their legs, batons, tasers. Some POWs had their arms or legs broken," one man was quoted in the text as saying.

In early March, a video showing the alleged execution of a Ukrainian prisoner of war by Russian soldiers caused a shock in Ukraine. In November, the Kremlin was outraged by two videos showing the alleged execution of a dozen Russian servicemen who had just surrendered to Ukrainian forces.

► Read also: War in Ukraine: the ICC issues an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin

(

With AFP)

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• Ukraine
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