UN experts document Russia increasing executions of Ukraine POWs

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (the mission) reported on Monday that captured Ukrainian troopers are being executed at an alarming price.

The mission has recorded 79 executions in 24 separate incidents since August 2024. For all incidents, the mission obtained video and photograph materials displaying executions or useless our bodies.

The spike in executions is a part of a sample of abuse in opposition to Ukrainian prisoners of warfare (POW). The mission recorded a minimum of 3 telephone calls in 2024 through which Russian public officers known as for executions. The Head of the mission, Danielle Bell, acknowledged that “[c]ombined with broad amnesty legal guidelines, such statements have the potential to incite or encourage illegal habits.”

The UN Workplace of the Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) revealed a report in August 2024 on the human rights state of affairs in Ukraine. The report discovered that Russian public figures had advocated for the inhumane remedy, and execution, of Ukrainian POWs. 169 out of the 174 Ukrainian POWs interviewed by the OHCHR have been subjected to torture and ill-treatment. The strategies of torture utilized by Russian armed forces included extreme beatings, electrical shocks, suffocation, and sexual violence.

Moreover, the report acknowledged that 104 of the 205 Russian POWs interviewed have been subjected to torture by Ukrainian armed forces.

The worldwide armed battle between Russia and Ukraine is ruled by worldwide humanitarian treaties. Each nations are events to the Third Geneva Conference, which states that POWs will not be subjected to torture. Particularly, Article 13 of the conference supplies for the humane remedy of POWs, together with the prohibition of any acts or omissions that can trigger demise or significantly endanger the well being of POWs.

The mission will proceed to observe the human rights state of affairs in Ukraine. The mission reported the deprivation of human rights in opposition to Ukrainian prisoners of warfare in 2022.

In October 2024, Ukraine additionally accused Russia of torturing POWs systematically, with as much as 90 p.c of returned Ukrainian troopers reporting abuse throughout detentions. Relatedly in November 2024, Ukraine prosecuted a number of Russian troopers for executing Ukrainian prisoners of warfare.