Every second captive in Donbas tortured
According to the official data, 1,333 civilians, 27 journalists, and 38 volunteers were held captive. 131 people, including civilians, are still held captive by the militants.
The volunteer initiatives, which communicate with the relatives of captives, claim that the real figures are much higher.
Euromaidan SOS initiative and other members of the Coalition For Peace and Justice in Donbas interviewed 150 people released from captivity. 79 places of captivity were established, including administrative buildings, military enlistment offices, office premises, private apartments, hotels and hostels, catering establishments, industrial enterprises, plants and factories, basements, garages, sewer manholes, cages.
Every second interviewed civilian was tortured and ill-treated. 12% of them are women. 71% of people suffered physical and mental pain during the entire period of their captivity. About 46% of people, who escaped torture, witnessed tortures of others. About 16% of those interviewed told about extrajudicial executions and beatings to death during torture.
“The testimonies of the captives give a lot of proofs that Russia exercises effective control over the illegal armed groups. It is no accident that the leading role in conducting interrogations and protection of ‘cellars’ was performed by military personnel and ‘volunteers’ of the Russian Federation in 44% of the cases,” the study says.
As a reminder, Amnesty International noted in its report that the militants and the Ukrainian servicemen tortured captives and used them as the “currency” for the exchange of prisoners.
