The UN should create an international mission and work in the war zones of Ukraine – Oleksandra Romantsova
The United Nations could strengthen its involvement in monitoring and accompanying the evacuation of civilians from combat zones in Ukraine.
This was announced by the Executive Director of the Center for Civil Liberties Oleksandra Romantsova during a meeting of the Independent International Commission to Investigate Russia’s Aggression against Ukraine, established by the UN Human Rights Council, with Ukrainian human rights NGOs.
“The UN could be more vigilant in monitoring and organizing the evacuation (of civilians from combat zones), as well as working to establish a full-fledged international mission ready to work on Ukrainian soil, directly in the war zone. This is exactly what human rights activists and the civilian population of Ukraine expect from the organization,” – the human rights defender stressed.
It should be noted that during the meeting, the problems that Russia creates for the evacuation of civilians were discussed. The point is, foremost, that the Russian military is constantly violating agreements. The Russian military does not guarantee stable evacuation corridors, they are almost always fired upon.
In addition, human rights activists are deeply concerned that Russia boldly ignores conventions on rules of conduct with the population of the occupied territories. Russian authorities are engaged in mass forced deportations, forcing people to pass through filtration camps.
All this is happening in the occupied territories, despite the fact that the evacuation processes are organized with the mediation of the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Ukrainian human rights activists have recorded a lot of such cases.
Reference
The UN Human Rights Council has established an independent international commission to investigate Russian war crimes in Ukraine for a period of one year. This was done at the request of Ukraine and its allies, including the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Composition of the commission
Dr Erik Møse is a former ECtHR judge and former president of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Head of Commission
Dr Jasminka Džumhur is the Human Rights Ombudsman of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Dr Pablo de Greiff is a Colombian academic and a human rights activist, who served as the first United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence.
The Commission’s mandate includes investigating all possible human rights violations, violations of international humanitarian law and related crimes in the context of Russian Federation aggression against Ukraine and establishing the facts, circumstances and root causes of any such violations and abuses.
