According to human rights group Human Rights Watch, war crimes against civilians in Ukraine are not exceptional and are apparently tolerated by the Russian military. “These are certainly not isolated cases,” the organization’s German director, Wenzel Michalski, told ARD on Sunday evening. He pointed to murders, rapes and shelling of civilian flats.
“This basically indicates that at least war crimes are tolerated. Perhaps this is not systematically planned. However, the shelling of residential areas by civilians and the use of prohibited weapons indicate that this is accepted and used as a tactic of war,” said Michalski. He called for a commission of inquiry commissioned by the United Nations.
“Those responsible must be held accountable”
It is important that the dead are not buried now, so as not to destroy the evidence. “We demand from the Russian government that these crimes are investigated and those responsible are held accountable,” he said, without expressing confidence that this will happen.
HRW released a report in Warsaw on Sunday documenting cases in the areas surrounding the cities of Kiev, Kharkiv and Chernihiv. According to the human rights activists, the basis for this is the interrogation of ten eyewitnesses, victims and residents.
These include the shooting of a man on March 4 in Bucha, northwest of Kiev, and at least six men in the village of Staryi Bykiv near Chernihiv by Russian soldiers. A woman reported being raped several times by a soldier in the Kharkiv region.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
