Released from Russian captivity spoke about systematic torture: UN
In a statement to the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported, that all 600 civilians and prisoners of war released from Russian captivity spoke of torture and ill-treatment.
Those released on May 31 described various forms of torture: from severe beatings and stressful positions of the body to electric shocks on the genitals and being chased by dogs. Torture was applied to whole groups of prisoners, in particular during the so-called “admission” to institutions on the territory of Russia. Many interviewees said they experienced constant hunger in captivity and were deprived of proper medical care for long periods.
The testimony of the released persons is confirmed by the observations of the members of the UN mission, who note the correspondence of the physical condition of the interviewees to their stories.
The MHRU also interviewed 388 Russian prisoners of war who spoke of torture and ill-treatment at transit points after evacuation from the battlefield.
The head of the Human Rights Council, Danielle Bell, emphasized that torture is a serious crime unconditionally prohibited by international law.
According to the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets, at least 14,000 cases of torture in Russian captivity have been confirmed. The Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine opened more than 450 criminal proceedings on the facts of ill-treatment and torture of prisoners of war and more than 2,100 on the facts of torture of civilians.