A leading rights group said on Sunday it had documented “apparent war crimes” committed by Russian military forces against civilians in Ukraine. Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a statement saying it had found “several cases of Russian military forces committing laws-of-war violations” in Russian-controlled regions such as Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Kyiv. The statement, published in Warsaw, came one day after dead civilians were found lying scattered through the streets of the Ukrainian country town of Bucha near Kyiv, three days after the Russian army pulled back from a month-long occupation. (…) The New York-based HRW referred to Bucha in its statement, for which it said it had interviewed 10 people including witnesses, victims and local residents, in person or by phone. It said some had been too scared to give their full names. “The cases we documented amount to unspeakable, deliberate cruelty and violence against Ukrainian civilians,” said Hugh Williamson, HRW’s Europe and Central Asia director. “Rape, murder, and other violent acts against people in the Russian forces’ custody should be investigated as war crimes.” These, it said, included one case of repeated rape; two cases of summary execution – one of six men – and other cases of unlawful violence and threats against civilians between Feb. 27 and March 14. “Soldiers were also implicated in looting civilian property, including food, clothing, and firewood. Those who carried out these abuses are responsible for war crimes,” the report said.
via reuters: Human Rights Watch accuses Russian forces of ‘apparent war crimes’ in Ukraine
siehe auch: Ukraine: Apparent War Crimes in Russia-Controlled Areas. Summary Executions, Other Grave Abuses by Russian Forces. Human Rights Watch has documented several cases of Russian military forces committing laws-of-war violations against civilians in occupied areas of the Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Kyiv regions of Ukraine. These include a case of repeated rape; two cases of summary execution, one of six men, the other of one man; and other cases of unlawful violence and threats against civilians between February 27 and March 14, 2022. Soldiers were also implicated in looting civilian property, including food, clothing, and firewood. Those who carried out these abuses are responsible for war crimes.