Many prisoners of war of Russian and Ukrainian forces during conflict in Ukraine are subjected to torture and ill-treatment, incl electric shockwarned today United Nations Organization.
“The prohibition of torture and ill-treatment is absolute, even – in fact, mainly – in times of armed conflict,” said Matilda Bogner, head of the monitoring mission for human rights in Ukraine, via video conference from Kyiv.
She said that the two countries participate in the Third Geneva Convention, which defines the conditions for the treatment of prisoners of war.
In recent months, the mission conducted interviews with 159 prisoners of war (139 men and 20 women) held by Russia and its affiliated armed groups and 175 prisoners of war (all men) held by Ukraine.
The mission had unfettered access to detention centers for prisoners controlled by the Ukrainian government, but the UN, despite its requests, was denied access to prisoners of war held by Russia and its affiliated armed groups.
The UN managed to get interviews from Ukrainian prisoners of war that were released.
As for the POWs in the hands of Russian forces, “the vast majority of the people we spoke to were tortured and ill-treated in detention” on a daily basis, according to Bogner.
During their capture, some suffered beating. Subsequently they were transported to their place of detention “often in overcrowded trucks or buses” without access to water or a toilet for at least a day.
“Their hands were bound and their eyes covered with duct tape so tight that it left wounds on their wrists and facesaid Bogner.
Upon arrival at some detention centers, prisoners of war are subjected to “reception procedures”, according to testimonies gathered by the UN during which they suffered prolonged beatings, received threats, attacked by dogs or stripped.
The UN also received “credible reports” of summary executions of Russian prisoners of war held by Ukrainians and numerous cases of torture and ill-treatment.
“We recorded cases of torture and ill-treatment, mainly when these people were captured, or when these people were subjected to an initial interrogation or transferred to temporary camps and detention centers,” explained Bogner.
Source: News Beast
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
