At least 74 people executed during conflict in Donbas – UN report

The representatives of both sides carried out executions of at least 74 people during the conflict in Donbas from January 2014 to May 31, 2016.

This is stated in the report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, published on July 14.

First, it is referred to the execution of persons who surrendered or somehow ceased to participate in hostilities.

The authors of the report note that the executions were carried out by representatives of the illegal armed formations “Donetsk People’s Republic” and “Luhansk People’s Republic”, the Ukrainian armed forces and the law enforcement agencies, including the volunteer battalions.

“The true scale of this phenomenon is difficult to be determined, but, according to estimates, we can speak about dozens of cases that particularly took place between June 2014 and February 2015, during the most intense fighting. Description of ten such cases of execution of 16 people (all were male) is attached to the report,” the report reads.

It is stressed that the OHCHR is not aware of “any case when members of armed groups were held accountable by their command for committing executions of captured Ukrainian soldiers, or when the Ukrainian military forces were held accountable for execution of members of the armed groups.”

Second, the report describes executions without appropriate trial and murders of civilians.

OHCHR recorded numerous reports on that, mostly in 2014 and early 2015, and attached the description of executions of 58 people to the report.

The armed groups mainly executed active supporters of the unity of Ukraine or those who supported the Ukrainian forces, or the people who, militants believed, had views or provided such support.

At least in one case the victims might have been executed based on racial hatred.

Ukrainian forces carried out executions on suspicion of involvement of a victim in the activity of the armed groups of “DPR” and “LPR” or supporting them or for “separatist” or “pro-Russian” views of a victim.

The report mentions that some violators of the rules of war were brought to justice.

However, according to the OHCHR, the judicial authorities often delay such trials or stop them.

According to the report, the law enforcement authorities of Ukraine demonstrate a lack of willingness to conduct the investigation, “especially when it comes to offence apparently committed by Ukrainian soldiers.”

The investigation in the areas not controlled by Ukraine is also selective, and the accused are not guaranteed the right to a fair trial, the report says.