[JURIST] Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] on Monday reported [HRW report] on evidence of the use of cluster bombs by the Ukrainian government on the city of Donetsk, a heavily populated civilian area in eastern Ukraine. The bombs have allegedly killed six individuals and injured several dozen more. Cluster munitions cover a wide area, posing a risk to anyone in the area. HRW uncovered evidence of misfired cluster munition rockets on flight paths from areas controlled by the Ukrainian government, which has led HRW to believe that the Ukrainian government is responsible for their use. The government has neither confirmed nor denied the allegations. HRW urged the Ukrainian government to immediately stop the use of the cluster munition bombs and accede to the treaty banning their use. While 114 countries have signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions [text, PDF], Ukraine is not a signatory. However, the country can still be charged with war crimes for releasing the bombs in a heavily civilian populated area, a violation of the laws of war [ICRC backgrounder].

The crisis in the Ukraine [JURIST news archive] has continued to escalate over recent months with no immediate end in sight. Earlier this week Amnesty International [advocacy website] reported [JURIST report] extra-judicial killings by both pro-Russian separatists and pro-Kyiv forces in eastern Ukraine. Last week the Ukrainian government enacted [JURIST report] five anti-corruption laws to promote government accountability within the country. In early October the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights [official website] warned [JURIST report] that human rights abuses were still prevalent within the Ukraine. In September the Ukrainian government ratified [JURIST report] an agreement with the EU granting autonomy to the eastern regions of the state in order to reform the country in accordance with EU standards and values.