[JURIST] The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said Monday that more than 6,000 people have died [press release] in eastern Ukraine since the conflict [JURIST backgrounder] began almost a year ago. According to the high commissioner, many of the casualties comprise women, children and the elderly. Zeid stated in his report that “[i]t is imperative that all sides comply with the provisions of the Minsk Agreements and halt the indiscriminate shelling and other hostilities that have created a dreadful situation for civilians—in stark disregard of international humanitarian law and human rights law.” Zeid that many of the deaths have been the result of indiscriminate shelling of residential areas in both government-controlled areas and cities. The UN believes they can move forward with positive developments that include a possible new ceasefire treaty and agreement to release all unlawfully seized hostages.

The ongoing conflict [BBC timeline] in eastern Ukraine [JURIST news archive] has reinvigorated fears of Cold War Era politics and increased tensions between Russia and the West. Last month a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon revealed that Ban had spoken [JURIST report] with Ukraine Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin regarding the ceasefire in Ukraine. Ban expressed concern over the situation and informed Klimkin that the UN would continue to follow the Security Council’s guidance. Earlier in February Zeid called for [JURIST report] both sides of the Ukraine conflict to halt “the dangerous escalation in the fighting” in response to the human rights “situation in the east of the country.” In January the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said that at least 5,086 people had been killed [JURIST report] since the conflict in Ukraine began in April 2014 but expressed concerns that the real figure may be much higher.