UN High Commissioner for Human Rights calls for end to daily killings, destruction in Ukraine
Dozens of civilians have been killed and injured in recent Russian attacks, underscoring the urgent need to end the ongoing bloodshed in Ukraine and ensure real steps towards achieving a sustainable peace in accordance with international law, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said.
According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, since Friday, Russian forces have carried out night strikes using a record number of long-range missiles and drones, killing or injuring civilians across Ukraine.
Since Friday, Russian forces have carried out night-time strikes using a record number of long-range missiles and drones, killing or injuring civilians across Ukraine. According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, at least 14 civilians have been killed, including three children, and 88 others, including 11 children, have been injured. The worst affected have been residents of large cities, including Kyiv, Kharkiv and Mykolaiv, as well as residents of other settlements.
According to Russian authorities, long-range drone strikes by Ukrainian armed forces on the Russian territory have injured at least 11 civilians over the weekend.
"It is time to put an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to commit to - and implement - a comprehensive ceasefire that stops the daily killing and destruction, and to start genuine peace negotiations, built on respect for international law," Türk said.
The High Commissioner said people and their rights must be at the heart of efforts to achieve a sustainable peace.
"The needs and rights of those most affected by the conflict, including prisoners of war (POWs), civilian detainees, deported and forcibly transferred children, the displaced and those living in occupied territory of Ukraine, must be at the centre of the discussions around peace," he said.
The High Commissioner also said even in conditions of active hostilities, all persons held in custody must be protected. Extrajudicial executions, torture and any inhuman or degrading treatment of persons in custody are prohibited under all circumstances and must be immediately stopped. In addition, all civilians held in places of detention must be released as soon as the legal basis for their detention no longer exists and must be protected against forcible return.
Practical measures to strengthen the protection of prisoners of war and civilians in custody include: ensuring regular correspondence with their families, establishing mixed medical commissions to assess the health of prisoners of war, and guaranteeing and expanding access for independent observers, including the UN Human Rights Office, to places of internment and detention.
