UN commission finds Russia committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine News
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UN commission finds Russia committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine

The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine concluded on Wednesday that widespread enforced disappearances and torture committed by Russia during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine constitute crimes against humanity. The announcement marks a significant development, as crimes against humanity constitute one of the most serious classifications of international crimes.

Central to the commission’s findings was Rule 7 of the Rome Statute, which states that forced disappearance and torture constitute crimes against humanity when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against any civilian population. The report, which included evidence gathered by the commission and interviews of soldiers who deserted from the Russian armed forces, concluded that the enforced disappearances against civilians were perpetrated pursuant to a coordinated state policy, which would amount to crimes against humanity.

Chair of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine Erik Møse stated at the 58th session of the Human Rights Council:

These crimes were carried out as part of a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population, in all provinces of Ukraine where areas came under Russian control, and in the Russian Federation. They were perpetrated pursuant to a coordinated state policy and targeted categories of persons that Russian authorities perceived as a threat to their military objectives in Ukraine.

The announcement comes after the European Court of Human Rights found Russia violated free speech by censoring Ukraine conflict news in February. Earlier this week, the US also withdrew from the International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA), which was investigating Russia for the crime of aggression in Ukraine. Additionally, Amnesty International published a report earlier this month that found war crimes and crimes against humanity were being committed against Ukrainian POWs and detainees.

Russia’s Mission in Geneva declined to comment on the report, calling it ‘politicized and one-sided.’

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