Thread by @Mylovanov

The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Alice Jill Edwards, reports that Russian military forces in Ukraine are consistently and intentionally inflicting severe physical and psychological pain on Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war.

The UN also reports documented evidence. 1/

The report focuses on arbitrary detention of civilians during the Russian Federation’s large-scale attack on Ukraine, covering 15 months from February 2022 to May 2023. 2/

The findings are based on 1,136 interviews, 274 site visits, and 70 visits to official places of detention. 3/

The torture by the Russian authorities is allegedly being carried out to extract intelligence, force confessions, or due to the victims' former membership or support of the Ukrainian armed forces. 4/

The alleged practices include electric shocks, beatings, hooding, mock executions, and other threats of death. 5/

The consistency and methods of the alleged torture suggest a level of coordination, planning, and organisation, as well as the direct authorisation, deliberate policy, or official tolerance from superior authorities. 6/

As a result of torture, ill-treatment, and poor conditions of detention, many Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war have suffered physical and psychological traumas, hallucinations, damage to internal organs, fractures and cracks in bones, extreme weight loss, sensory… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Most individuals reportedly did not have access to adequate medical assistance during their detention. 8/

Torture is a war crime, and the systematic or widespread practice of torture constitutes a crime against humanity. 9/

Obeying a superior order or policy direction cannot be invoked as justification for torture, and any individual involved should be promptly investigated and prosecuted by independent authorities. 10/

The report documents over 900 cases of arbitrary detention of civilians, including children and elderly people.

The report looks both at Russian and Ukrainian detentions. The overwhelming majority of detentions were done by the Russian authorities. (See below on Ukraine) 11/

Ukraine granted unimpeded confidential access to official places of detention and detainees, with one exception; the Russian Federation did not. 12/

The Russian Federation detained civilians in occupied areas, carrying out what appeared to be security detentions in a manner that did not comply with international law. 13/

Detainees included local public officials, humanitarian volunteers, members of civil society, priests, and teachers, often held incommunicado in unofficial places of detention. 14/

Approximately a quarter of the documented cases involved civilian detainees being transferred within occupied territory or deported to the Russian Federation, often without information disclosed to their families. 15/

The report documented the summary execution of 77 civilians while they were arbitrarily detained by the Russian Federation. 16/

Russian armed forces, law enforcement, and penitentiary authorities engaged in widespread torture and ill-treatment of civilian detainees, often to force confessions or cooperation. 16/

The reports also talks about 75 cases of Ukrainian detentions (out of 900, 8%, Ukraine gave full access, Russia no access).the report argues that the decision to detain doesn’t meet the international standards. In my view, the assessment ignores the environment in which this… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

These were the times and circumstances in which multiple Russian saboteur and special op groups operated in Ukraine. Recall that Kherson was lost to Russia in the beginning of the war because of collaborators and officials commuting treasons. 18/

This what the report says: Legislative amendments and practices by Ukrainian security forces resulted in an environment conducive to arbitrary detention, with 75 cases documented.

Well, yes, Ukraine had to move fast or lives would be lost. It narrowly targeted people of… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

I encourage you to read the report to form your own opinions about the data and abuse.

20Xohchr.org/sites/default/…