Medicine cannot be a tool of torture: an open appeal to the WHO
Dear colleagues,
Ukrainian NGOs – the Center for Civil Liberties (CCL), International Center for Ukrainian Victory (ICUV), the ANTS National Interests Advocacy Network, Military Medics of Ukraine together with Ukrainian and state institutions, educational and medical institutions, civic organisations, unities of relatives of captives are applying to you as a prominent health care organization to present findings from two recent studies examining violations of the right to medical care of Ukrainian POWs and civilian detainees, as well as the involvement of Russian medical personnel in the torture of Ukrainians in captivity.
We apply to the World Health Organization as a crucial institution, whose actions are recognized on the highest international level, to draw your attention to the situation, where these practices constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law, international human rights law, the UN Convention against Torture, the Geneva Conventions, and universally recognized principles of medical ethics.
Based on testimonies from former POWs, civilian detainees, medical professionals, and legal analysis, the studies show that Russian medical personnel are integrated into a broader system of abuse. Evidence documents the systematic denial of medical care, neglect of serious injuries and illnesses, degrading treatment, concealment of abuse, and direct participation in acts amounting to torture and ill-treatment, in some cases leading to the deaths of POWs and civilian detainees. Instead of serving as a safeguard against torture, prison medical staff have knowingly become participants in and perpetrators of unlawful repression.
The findings prove that these abuses are not isolated incidents but elements of a wider state-enabled system operating across detention facilities under the control of the Russian Federation.
We ask you to bring international awareness to the situation, where the following is essential:
- the establishment of Mixed Medical Commissions in accordance with the III Geneva Convention to assess the health condition of POWs and determine eligibility for their repatriation;
- international monitoring of Ukrainian POWs’ detention places through the involvement of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), UN mechanisms, and independent medical organizations;
- documenting the involvement of medical personnel in acts of torture and identification mechanisms to ensure accountability for those responsible;
- international pressure on the Russian Federation to ensure access for independent medical experts to places of detention of POWs, as well as the introduction of targeted restrictive measures against individuals responsible for violations of prisoners’ rights;
- international advocacy for the release of seriously wounded and seriously ill POWs, as well as unlawfully detained civilians.
At a time when thousands of Ukrainians remain in captivity, exposing the role of medical personnel in the system of torture is important not only for ensuring accountability for international crimes. It is also a matter of safeguarding fundamental principles of medical ethics, the professional independence of healthcare workers, and preventing the use of medicine as a tool to inflict harm on people.
That is why we believe it is important to engage the World Health Organization in the international discussion of this issue. The World Health Organization has unique expertise and international capacity to draw attention to violations of the right to health, uphold international standards of medical care, and help ensure that the principles of healthcare and medical ethics remain in force even in situations of armed conflict.
| Center for Civil Liberties | Oleksandra Matviichuk |
| National Interests Advocacy Network “ANTS” | Hanna Hopko |
| International Center for Ukrainian Victory | ICUV | Olena Halushka |
| Military Medics of Ukraine | Viktoriia Ivchuk |
| Taira’s Angels | Yuliia Paievska |
| NGO “ZHINKY TRO” | Olena Skytiuk |
| NGO “CLEAR” | Yuliia Bohdan |
| NGO ”CIVILNI VILNI” | Mariia Sizenova, Olena Yahupova |
| Charitable Foundation “Principle of Hope” | Maksym Butkevych |
| Austausch e.V. – For a European Civil Society | Igor Mitchnik |
| MEMORIAL Deutschland e. V. | Anke Giesen, Sabine Erdmann-Kutnevič, Mirko Kruppa |
| European Prison Litigation | Hugues de Suremain |
| Memorial Italia | Giulia De Florio |
| For Ukraine, for their Freedom and Ours! | Pierre Raiman |
| VRU Inter-Factional Parliamentary Association Return from Captivity | Inna Sovsun |
| Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War | |
| Associazione Culturale Ucraina Libera | Chiarion Mauro |
| Political Prisoners Support. Memorial | Sergei Davidis |
| Dansk Ukrainsk Støtteforening ViTa Ukraine | Victoria Donets |
| European Congress of Ukrainians | Bohdan Rajcinec |
| Association of Ukrainians in Belgium | Igor Chocholak |
| NGO “Liberta” | Iryna Kudas |
| Ukraine War Archive | Iryna Pavliukovska |
| NGO “Warriors’ Liberation” | Nataliia Yepifanova |
| PROTECTION FOR PRISONERS OF UKRAINE | Oleh Tsvilyi |
| NGO “Don’t Be Indifferent!” | Oksana Levkova |
| NGO “VOICE OF THE MISSING” | Svitlana Merkulova |
| NGO “HOLOS ZNYKLYKH” | Yuliia Solomoniuk |
| Association of Families of the Missing and Captives | Kateryna Nazarii |
| Advocacy Center “Life” | Svitlana Sydorova |
| Association of Relatives of Political Prisoners of the Kremlin | Ihor Kotelianets |
| Union of Families of Missing Persons of the 141st Separate Mechanized Brigade | Liliia Kononchuk |
| Military Unit A1736 57th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade | Valentyna Nepomenko |
| Association of Families of Service Members of the 53rd Brigade — Bakhmut Direction | Anastasiia Pisotska |
| Initiative of Families of Missing and Captured Servicemembers of the 41st Separate Mechanized Brigade “With Faith in Our Hearts” | Alla Lasun |
| An initiative by the families of the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade | Lesya Pavlovska, Oksana Fedyk, Kateryna Pashko |
| Families of the 5th Assault Brigade, 24th Assault Brigade, and attached personnel | Natalia Shevchenko |
| 92nd Assault Brigade, military unit A0501 | I. Zelenska |
| Families’ Association of the 210th Separate Assault Regiment “Berlingo” | N. Opanasenko |
| “CONDEMNED BUT NOT FORGOTTEN” | Violetta Sukhorebrova |
| NGO “ZHINKY TRO” 109 OBrTrO | Maryna Bogush, Nina Kovalyk |
| The Dignity Practice | Louise Cuvillier |
| KryvbasPride | Davyd Frolov |
| Dnipropetrovsk Regional Branch UPO “Gay Alliance Ukraine” | Borys Zolotchenko |
| Union of Families of Missing and Captured Service Members of the 81st Brigade “Z Viroiu v Sertsi (With Faith in the Heart)” | Yaroslav Karpiv |
| E2Econsultsncy.dk | Oksana Feilberg |
| Association of Free Russians in Italy | Natalya Rigvava |
| Ukrainian American Society of Texas | Chrystya Geremesz |
| « Through the wall » foundation | Anastasia Shevchenko |
| Relative of the detainee | Nataliia Onanchenko |
| Ukrainian World Congress | Volodymyr Kohutiak |
| NGO “UNBROKEN AND UNCONQUERED 61” | Oleksandra Kalinina |
| “WE BELIEVE – WE WILL RETURN” | Svitlana Vashchenko |
| Association of Families of Prisoners and Missing Persons from the 95th AAB | Iryna Latysh |
| Family Reunification – 143rd Separate Mechanized Brigade | Nataliia Yeremeieva |
| NGO “Freedom for Ukrainian Prisoners of War” | Tetiana Vyshniak |
| Association of Families of the 43rd Separate Mechanized Brigade | Kateryna Zhadan |
| Family Unity of the 5th Separate Heavy Mechanised Brigade | Ninel Bardashevska |
| Association of Families of Missing, Captive, and Fallen Defenders of Ukraine of the 150th Separate Mechanized Brigade | Tetiana Bandrivska |
| Association of families of the Zaporizhzhia direction | Natalia Nychyk |
| Coordinator of the 80th Brigade Families Association | Oksana Kozak |
| Families of Missing and Captured Defenders of the 24th Separate Assault Battalion “Aidar” | Olha Khrystova, Anastasiia Kovalenko |
| NGO “VARTA NADII” | Anastasiia Dobriieva |
| Families in Support of the Soldiers of the 57th Brigade | Valentina Nepomenko |
| Association of Families of the 14th Separate Mechanised Brigade | Svitlana Synko |
| Families of those missing in action and those taken prisoner from the 24th Aidar Separate Assault Regiment | Anastasiia Kovalenko |
| Association of Families of the 46th Airborne Division | Kateryna Delistyanova |
| Association of Families of Missing Persons from the 117th Mechanised Brigade | Hanna Vilkun |
| Association of Families in the Kupiansk Area | Natalia Smagliuk |
| Association of Military Families of the 102nd Brigade | Nataliia Saluk |
| On guard of Sumshchyna | Tetiana Pavlyk |
| NGO “ALWAYS BE THE FIRST TO BE AT HOME” | Amina Ivanchenko |
| Varash heroes | Nataliia Mahometova |
| 210 Separate Assault Regiment | Alla Zhuk |
| 33rd Special Forces Battalion, Military Unit 4951 | Nataliia Vasechko |
| Association of Families of Missing and Captured Servicemembers of the 120th Territorial Defense Brigade, Donetsk Direction | Kateryna Pashko |
| Mordovia. Captivity | Olena Ischenko |
| Unconquered “Verbove” | Inna Zahorodnia |
| Faculty of Medicine, Uzhhorod University | Oleg Devinyak |
| Ukrainian Youth Association in Australia | Markian Stefanychyn |
| Association of Families of Missing and Captured Servicemen, 9th Separate Rifle Battalion, Military Unit A7093 | Anastasiia Vitriak |
| Association of Families of Prisoners of War and Missing Persons from the 42nd Brigade, Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv sectors | Olga Ostrovska |
| Association of Families of Missing Persons and Prisoners of War A4862 ‘Rock of Hope’ | Tetyana Beigul |
| Association of Families of Missing and Captive Servicemen of the 9th Separate Rifle Battalion (Military Unit A7093). | Anastasiia Vitriak |
| ASSOCIATION OF THE SUMY DIRECTION’S DEFENDERS FAMILIES OF UKRAINE | Yuliia Hutak |
| Association of Families of the 125th Separate Heavy Mechanized Brigade | Anna Shyliuk |
| Ukraines Fremtid, Resiliens Nord | Alona Shevchuk |
| NGO “Protega” | Maksym Budiuka |
| A representative of a prisoner of war’s family | Svitlana Parfeniuk |
| A representative of a prisoner of war’s family | Mariia Medyk |
| NGO “Berehyni of Resilience”Association of relatives of political prisoners of the Kremlin |
