«I would ask you to facilitate the exchange and return of every Ukrainian home to Ukraine». Leniya Umerova and Oleksandra Romantsova during the side event of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly
On 29 October, the Third Committee of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly held a side event in New York, dedicated to the topic ‘Torture in the Russian Federation: a tool of repression at home and aggression abroad’. The speakers were also Oleksandra Romantsova, Executive Director of the Center for Civil Liberties, and Leniya Umerova, a civilian released from Russian captivity.
At the event, Ms Mariana Katsarova, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Russia, presented her first thematic report entitled ‘Torture in the Russian Federation: a tool of repression at home and aggression abroad’. The report provides comprehensive and alarming information on the systematic, widespread and state-sanctioned use of torture as a major tool of repression in the Russian Federation and aggression against Ukraine.
The conclusions describe a pattern of torture and cruel treatment that encompasses the law enforcement, judicial and penitentiary systems of Russia. It is also highlighted that the target group is broad, including political prisoners, persons who refuse military service on the grounds of conscience and men who have been mobilised, lawyers, human rights defenders and anti-war activists, LGBT representatives, foreigners, migrants, indigenous peoples and national minorities, as well as women and girls. The use of torture in the Russian Federation has serious consequences for peace and security.
At the side event, representatives of UN Member States and civil society could hear directly from the UN Special Rapporteur about her report, and hear the stories of courageous people who have survived arbitrary detention and torture in Russia. Leading human rights defenders, including Ukrainian ones, also took the floor, some of whom continue to work to support victims and end torture and cruel treatment in Russia.
Lenia Umerova, a Crimean Tatar civilian who was released from Russian captivity, also made a speech: ‘Russian security forces de facto kidnapped me and used fabricated evidence to imprison me in temporary detention centres. The first court decision imposed a fine and deportation, but that was only the beginning. In Russia, I was held in various detention centres, including temporary centres for foreigners, where I was repeatedly humiliated and subjected to cruel treatment. All the court proceedings and verdicts were aimed at breaking me psychologically by keeping me in conditions that grossly violated my rights, with insufficient food and no medical care. My physical and mental condition was constantly getting worse, and I survived only thanks to the support of my family, who did their best to get me the medication I needed.
After several months of ‘carousel’ detentions, I was transferred to Lefortovo. There I met women from Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions who told me stories of being transported through the occupied territories, tortured and treated with extreme cruelty. These stories show the brutality with which Russia treats civilian prisoners. So I am asking you to facilitate the exchange and return every Ukrainian home to Ukraine.’
