Ukraine: Breaking Bodies: Torture and Summary Killings in Eastern Ukraine

May 22, 2015Index Number: EUR 50/1683/2015

EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIAARMED CONFLICT

The stories of torture and other ill-treatment of prisoners held by both sides in connection with the conflict in eastern Ukraine are not only shocking, they are all too common. Amnesty International interviewed 33 former prisoners for this briefing paper, 17 of whom had been held by separatists, and 16 by pro-Kyiv military and police forces, including the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). All but one of them described severe beatings or other serious abuse, particularly during the initial days of captivity.

BACKGROUND

In January and February, heavy fighting resumed in Ukraine's eastern region of Donbass, as Russian-backed separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk sought to advance and straighten their frontline. Amid heavy military losses, Ukrainian forces ceded control over Donetsk airport and the area around the town of Debaltseve. More evidence emerged of Russia heavily backing separatist fighters with manpower and military weaponry, although it continued to deny direct military involvement. In February, an internationally mediated agreement was reached between the Ukrainian government and the de facto authorities of the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics; a fragile ceasefire ensued. In September, both sides pulled back heavy weaponry, but mortar and small gunfire exchanges were still occurring at the end of the year, resulting in further casualties. According to UN figures, the death toll exceeded 9,000 by the end of the year, including approximately 2,000 civilians. Over 2.5 million people were displaced, including 1.1 million outside Ukraine.

On 8 September, Ukraine referred the situation in Donbass to the ICC, when it lodged a declaration accepting the Court's jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed on its territory from 20 February 2014. However, Parliament failed to ratify the Rome Statute.

Right-wing groups, which had received negligible electoral support following the EuroMaydan protests in 2014, were implicated in a series of violent incidents. In July, armed paramilitaries from the nationalist organization Pravy Sektor (Right Sector) were involved in a shoot-out with police in the Zakarpattya region, resulting in three deaths. In August, during a protest organized by the non-parliamentary right-wing Svoboda party in front of Parliament, four National Guard officers were killed by a grenade. Several Svoboda activists were arrested.

Local elections were held in October and November in government-controlled territory. However, voting was postponed until later in the year in the city of Mariupol, and was not held in several towns and villages across eastern and southern Ukraine due to security concerns.

Amnesty International Report 2015/16 - Ukraine

	Publisher	Amnesty International
1	Publication Date	24 February 2016
2	Cite as	Amnesty International,Amnesty International Report 2015/16 - Ukraine, 24 February 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56d05b05153.html [accessed 28 February 2022]
3	Disclaimer	This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

its a problem ,,,and the UN /USA etc.. claim its all russia .. a little research and you get the true picture.