The “green light” to set up an international commission of inquiry into human rights and humanitarian law violations in Ukraine after the Russian invasion gave on Friday (4/3) the The UN Human Rights Council approved the relevant decision by an overwhelming majority.
Russia suffered another defeat in the UN General Assembly earlier this week following a decision by Moscow earlier this week calling for a ceasefire. UN Human Rights Councilas this decision was adopted by 32 votes in favor, 2 against (Russia and Eritrea) and 13 abstentions, including those of Venezuela, Cuba, China, India and Pakistan.
This vote took place as well The largest nuclear power plant in Europe, the one in Zaporizhia, located in southern Ukraine, was hit today by the Russian army and caused a fire, which was quickly extinguished by Ukrainian firefighters.
For the first time, the UN Human Rights Council is targeting Russia
This is the first time in the history of the Council that a decision has directly targeted Russia, according to a UN spokesman.
This decision condemns, as broadcast by the Athens News Agency, “the violations of human rights and the attacks on these rights that result from the attack of the Russian Federation”.
The text of the decision calls for the “rapid and verifiable withdrawal of Russian troops and armed groups supported by the Russia from the whole of the internationally recognized territory of Ukraine “and also the urgent establishment of an” independent international commission of inquiry “, with the initial term of office being set at one year. This is the highest level of research that the Council can decide.
The investigators will be tasked with “collecting, gathering and analyzing evidence proving (…) violations” of human rights and international humanitarian law stemming from the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the run-up to future trials and identifying those violations “in order to be accountable for their actions”.
“There is strong evidence of blatant and systematic violations, as well as of war crimes”
Ukraine’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Yevgeny Filipenko, told the council a few minutes before the vote that there was “unshakable evidence of blatant and systematic violations, as well as of war crimes and crimes against humanity by Russia.”
“It is our common duty to ensure that they are held accountable by ordering the documentation and verification of Russia’s crimes and the identification of those responsible,” he said.
Russia, which has described its actions since February 24 as a “special mission”, denies targeting citizens of Ukraine.
Ambassador Yevgeny Ustinov told the council that supporters of the decision “will use every means to accuse Russia of the events in Ukraine.”
The decisions of the UN Human Rights Council are not binding, but they send an important political message and can approve the conduct of inquiries, such as the one of the three-member committee set up by today’s vote.
It is not yet clear how this committee, set up for an initial period of one year, will work in parallel with an existing UN Human Rights in the country.
A team from the International Criminal Court based in The Hague left for the “Ukraine region” on Thursday (3/3) to investigate possible war crimes from all sides involved in the conflict, its chief prosecutor told Reuters.
Source: News Beast
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