By Marco Levytsky, Editorial Writer
December 10th is International Human Rights Day, which marks the anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly's adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Of the 58 members of the United Nations at the time, 48 voted in favour, none against, eight—the USSR, its captive states, and South Africa—abstained, and two—Honduras and Yemen—did not vote.
International Human Rights Day is a time to acknowledge the importance and relevance of human rights, counter negative stereotypes, and mobilize action for a global human rights movement. It also serves as a reminder of the numerous human rights violations worldwide. Nowhere in the world today are such abuses more prevalent than in Russia and the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.
The list of atrocities committed by the Russian Federation in Ukraine is extensive. Over a year-and-a-half ago the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued warrants for the arrest of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, Putin’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, for the war crime of unlawful deportation of a population (children) and that of the illegal transfer of a population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation (under articles 8(2)(a)(vii) and 8(2)(b)(viii) of the Rome Statute). The abducted children have been subject to brainwashing intended to erase their national identity and culture, which constitutes an act of genocide.
On October 1, 2024, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), a department of the United Nations Secretariat that promotes and protects human rights guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, issued a scathing report on the treatment of prisoners of war and the human rights situation in Ukraine.
This fortieth periodic report by OHCHR covers the period from June 1 to August 31, 2024. It presents the OHCHR assessment of the overall scope and scale of torture and ill-treatment experienced by prisoners of war (POWs). It notes that Russian authorities have subjected Ukrainian POWs to widespread and systematic torture and ill-treatment.
Ukrainian POWs described severe beatings, electric shocks, sexual violence, suffocation, prolonged stress positions, forced periods of excessive exercise, sleep deprivation, mock executions, threats of violence, and humiliation.
Torture or other forms of ill-treatment were pervasive during interrogation and throughout all stages of captivity, including during admission procedures, daily internment routines, and because of the dire conditions of internment. Entire groups of Ukrainian POWs were routinely subjected to these abusive practices across various internment facilities and regions in occupied Ukraine and the Russian Federation, showing similar patterns of brutality.
Earlier this year, the UN Commission of Inquiry found evidence of other crimes against humanity perpetrated by Russian authorities in areas that came under their control in Ukraine.
Among them:
- The continued use of explosive weapons in civilian areas. The multiplicity of such attacks confirms a pattern of disregard by Russian armed forces for possible harm to civilians. Indiscriminate attacks violating international humanitarian law committed by Russian armed forces have led to civilian casualties and the destruction and damage of civilian objects, including protected objects, such as hospitals and cultural property.
- In addition to the torture of POWs, the Commission noted that torture against civilians by Russian authorities in Ukraine and in the Russian Federation has been widespread and systematic.
- The report documents incidents of rape and other sexual violence committed against women in circumstances which also amount to torture. It also details incidents of torture with a sexualized dimension and threats of rape against male prisoners of war.
The Commission strongly condemned all violations and corresponding crimes. Its current findings confirm the necessity of continuing investigations, including determining whether some of the situations identified may constitute crimes against humanity.
Finally, the Commission reiterated the importance of ensuring perpetrators are identified and held accountable. Bringing perpetrators to justice is crucial, as is attending to the needs of victims. Therefore, the Commission also emphasized the significance of other dimensions of accountability, such as truth, reparations, and guarantees of non-recurrence.
Few people are aware of this, but Canada played not a, but the leading role in drafting the UN Declaration of Human Rights. As director of the United Nations Human Rights Division from 1946 to 1966, Hampton, New Brunswick native John Thomas Peters Humphrey, QC, lawyer, diplomat, and scholar, was the principal author of the Declaration, which was referred to as the “Magna Carta of all mankind” by Eleanor Roosevelt, the committee chairperson. The document has been translated into 321 languages and dialects. It is probably the most cited international legal document drafted by a Canadian.
Bearing this in mind, we urge the Government of Canada to build upon this proud legacy and take a leading role in calling for the perpetrators of Russian crimes against humanity in Ukraine to be brought to justice and prevent such atrocities from being committed in the future. And the only way to ensure such atrocities will not be repeated is to clear the road for Ukraine’s NATO membership.
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