Generalized, systematic and with common patterns. The use of torture by Russian authorities is the result of a coordinated state policy and therefore constitutes a crime against humanity, as concluded by the independent commission of experts sent by the UN to Ukraine.
In its latest report to the General Assembly, the third, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine recalls that it had previously concluded that this use of torture constituted war crimes, another category. “Based on our evidence, we concluded that Russian authorities acted in accordance with a coordinated state policy aimed at torturing Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war and therefore committed crimes against humanity,” said Erik Møse, chairman of the commission, in a press release. statement.
As the researchers explain, “other cases of torture against Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war demonstrated the use of torture throughout Russian-controlled areas in Ukraine and in the detention centers they investigated in Russia. In its previous reports, the commission had already established that the practice of torture by Russian authorities was “widespread” and that common patterns “also showed it to be systematic”. “These patterns refer to the categories of people targeted, the objective for which torture is used and the methods used,” he explains.
Experts sent by the UN have now identified other common elements, such as the repetition of violent practices used in Russian detention centers in similar centers in areas under Moscow control in Ukraine. “Former detainees have consistently described the same harsh practices aimed at frightening, disrupting, humiliating, coercing and punishing. The evidence further demonstrates that the Russian authorities deployed specific services and security forces of the Russian Federation to various detention centers in the occupied areas they controlled in Ukraine. “These services and forces acted in a coordinated manner and in accordance with a specific division of labor to carry out acts of torture.”
Sexual violence as a form of torture is also recurrent in detention centers, mainly against men. “One of them stated that he had been subjected to electric shocks with a stun gun at least six times on the genitals,” explains the commission, which also emphasizes that, according to victims and witnesses, many officials were openly perpetrated torture, “with an apparent sense of impunity.
Detainees also face “a general absence or refusal of medical assistance” in the centers. Torture victims told experts they suffered physical pain and trauma, “with lasting or irreparable consequences”, and faced “immense” psychological problems.
The researchers also allude in the document to continuing waves of attacks by the Russian military against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which have caused power outages that have affected millions of civilians. “Among other consequences, power cuts have restricted the enjoyment of rights to health and education, with serious consequences for children, the elderly and people with disabilities or health problems. “They described feelings of anguish, anxiety and isolation. » On the other hand, they also continue to investigate explosive weapon attacks that have affected civilians and civilian targets on all sides of the front line.
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine is made up of three experts – Erik Møse, Vrinda Grover and Pablo de Greiff – and was established by the United Nations Human Rights Council to investigate rights violations and abuses committed in the context of the Russian invasion. They previously concluded that Russian authorities had committed a “wide variety” of violations of international law in various parts of the country, many of which amount to war crimes.
