Human rights plummet in Ukraine, Russian-occupied territories

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: VOA

January 01, 2025 12:43 PM



Geneva — U.N. human rights monitors find that almost three years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the human rights situation in the country and areas occupied by Russia is on a downward spiral, as military operations intensify, civilian casualties rise, and torture, summary executions and other gross violations proliferate.

“The human rights situation remains bleak with a still-rising number of civilian casualties, continued executions and torture of prisoners of war, and efforts by Russia to solidify its control of occupied Ukrainian territory,” according to the new report by the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, HRMMU.

The report, released Tuesday by the U.N. Human Rights Office, covers key developments in the human rights situation between Sept. 1 and Nov. 30, 2024. It’s based on information gathered in the course of dozens of field trips and visits to detention centers, as well as interviews with more than 800 victims and witnesses of human rights violations.

“Behind each of the facts and figures in this report are stories of loss and human suffering, showing the devastating impact of the war across Ukraine,” said HRMUU chief Danielle Bell in a statement issued from Kyiv to coincide with the release of the report.

Read more: https://www.voanews.com/a/human-rights-plummet-in-ukraine-russian-occupied-territories/7921152.html

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Link to U.N. PRESS RELEASE - Ukraine: Human rights situation remains bleak three years after Russia’s full-scale armed attack - UN report

Link to U.N. REPORT (PDF) - https://ukraine.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/2024-12/PR41%20Ukraine%202024-12-31.pdf

[stopdiggin]

1. Shocked! Shocked I tell you. -(nt)-

[tornado34jh]

2. Why is the UN acting damn surprised? It's been evident from the start

All talk, no bite. They had ample opportunity to deal with Russia and its invasion of Ukraine, but instead they sat on their hands. In fact I think, and Zelenskyy himself said this earlier at the beginning of the invasion, that maybe the UN should be dissolved. What good has this organization done recently? I mean, to me, it has lost all that it stood for. Now they are acting surprised about human rights in Ukraine and in the Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine? They are absolute hypocrites.

[ancianita]

3. Hear hear!

[BumRushDaShow]

4. "I mean, to me, it has lost all that it stood for."

In reality, the U.N. was only one tick better than the old "League of Nations" and was never given the enforcement authority that it would have needed to truly be effective. It has served as a "global communications body" and has been able to muster some humanitarian work, but as long as the now-defunct WW2 "winners" control the functioning (where it is ridiculous to have England and France as "permanent members" on the Security Council for example, yet no country from the entire continent of Africa), then it will forever be unrepresentative of the world as it stands today, and hamstrung.

[tornado34jh]

5. Having permanent members of the UNSC is not really a good idea. Heck, Russia is one of them

I think it was Serhiy Kyskytsya (Ukrainian representative of the UN) who said that originally it was the Soviet Union who was the Permanent member of the UNSC, and then when it was dissolved, there was no memos saying that Russia was the successor state to the seat of the Soviet Union. In other words, there was no resolution recognizing Russia as the seat of the Soviet Union as opposed to China, where a vote was done via the General Assembly. So in other words.

This is a few years old, but it goes into detail on how Russia got the USSR's permanent seat and why Ukraine is questioning it.

https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2022/0307/1284242-russia-ussr-un-security-council-permanent-seat/

[BumRushDaShow]

7. One of my thoughts for "permanent members"

was to have a rotating country from each of the 5 "populated continents" (excluding Australia as a "continent" ) - I.e., North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Asia. Australia could fall under "Asia" and "North America" could include the countries of "Meso-America" (e.g., Mexico, Panama, Guatemala, etc) to bolster the numbers beyond just the U.S. and Canada.

[electric_blue68]

6. Must somewhat disagree BRTS. The UN has done more than "just some humanitarian work". And it IS a organization that...

could use improvements!!

As for the permanent nation status issue, I'd have to think on that aspect.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. Unfortunately

it was never given "enforcement" authority for its resolutions and naturally part of the problem is a member's desire for "self-preservation" when confronted with a resolution.

[electric_blue68]

9. I'd probably agree w this. 👍 Was talking other things that they do.

[BumRushDaShow]

11. Way back when I was in middle school

my class was part of the Philly chapter of the "World Affairs Council", which was an entity that enabled our class to participate in monthly "global affairs" programming, culminating in a trip to the U.N. at the end of the school year. So I was sortof drenched in it early on and as an adult, saw the unfortunate weaknesses and loopholes and compromises that were made just to keep the thing going - and notably the struggles with financing that they face (particularly when you have every GOP administration basically reduce or even kill the dues paying to it ).

[maxsolomon]

10. "Inter arma silent leges."

"In times of war, the law falls silent."
-Marcus Tullius Cicero, 52 BC