Parties to conflict in Donbas violate laws of war – human rights activists

The parties to the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine violated the laws of war.

This is stated in the annual report of Human Rights Watch international human rights organization on the situation in the world.

“They [the parties to the conflict] committed indiscriminate attacks that injured and killed civilians, including through the use of cluster munitions. Government forces and Russia-backed rebels deployed within or near densely populated areas, endangering civilians and civilian objects, including schools, hospitals, and apartment buildings. There was significant evidence that several types of antipersonnel landmines have been used in eastern Ukraine, although at time of writing it was not possible to determine the responsible party or parties,” reads the report.

According to the human rights defenders, there is “credible evidence” that both rebel and government forces were implicated in credible reports of torture and cruel and degrading treatment of detainees.

As stated, all the parties to the conflict violated the international humanitarian law.

“Travel restrictions, introduced by the Ukrainian government in January 2015, severely impede the ability of civilians in rebel-controlled areas to reach safety and access life-saving services available in Ukraine-controlled territory,” reads the report.