UN Commission in Ukraine to probe Russian war crimes

KIEV: The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has arrived in Kiev to investigate Russian war crimes in the wake of its continued invasion.

In a social media post on Saturday, deputy head of Ukraine's parliament Olena Kondratiuk said: "The UN Independent International Commission has arrived in Ukraine to investigate the crimes related to Russian aggression. Erik Mose is the head of the commission; Jasminka Dzumhur and Pablo de Greiff are also members of the commission."

Kondratiuk stated that the Commission was created in order to record human rights violations, violations of international humanitarian law, and other crimes in the context of the aggression against Ukraine by Russia, reports Ukrayinska Pravda.

The Commission's main goals are establishing a list of suspects, gathering evidence, and preparing relevant materials. The members of the commission have noted that their task is to conduct an independent investigation of the violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law in Kiev, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Sumy that took place in late February and early March. The investigation will be conducted according to international standards.

The head of the commission said that the members will gather information about war crimes committed in Ukraine and in turn report it to the UN Human Rights Council. The Commission will also deliver a report to the UN General Assembly at its 77th session.

In a report, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that it had documented several cases of Russian military forces committing laws-of-war violations against civilians in occupied areas of the Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Kiev in the period between February 24 and March 14. The crimes included rape, executions, unlawful violence and threats against civilian and looting civilian property. IANS

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