UN says 90% of Ukrainian prisoners of war have been tortured by Russians
UN says 90% of Ukrainian prisoners of war have been tortured by Russians (Photo:instagram.com/ministry_of_defense_ua)
Around 90% of Ukrainian prisoners of war have been subjected to torture, including sexual violence, while in Russian captivity, Voice of America (VoA) reported on Sept. 10, citing Alice Jill Edwards, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on torture.
Torture perpetrated by Russian soldiers against Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war has reached such a level that it is clearly a systematic, state-endorsed policy, Edwards said at a press conference in Kyiv on Sept. 9.
“This is not random, aberrant behavior,” Edwards said. “This is orchestrated as part of state policy to intimidate, instill fear, or punish to extract information and confessions.”
Former Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia described fellow prisoners dying in custody from beatings or being kept in poor conditions.
Edwards said she had reached out to Russian authorities at least seven times since receiving her mandate a year ago, drawing attention to the behavior of its troops and personnel in its detention facilities, but had received no response.
Moscow’s refusal to address the issue, and the accumulating cases, amounted to tacit approval of the use of torture, Edwards said.
Ukrainian prosecutors have opened 103,000 criminal cases related to torture by Russian soldiers.
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