MOSCOW, October 8 (RIA Novosti), Daria Chernyshova - Human Rights Watch (HRW) will continue pressing for accountability for those responsible for humanitarian law violations in Ukraine, Rachel Denber, Deputy Director for the Europe and central Asia division of the organization told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.
“Both sides in this conflict are responsible for humanitarian law violations and we will continue to press for accountability on both sides,” Denber said.
Denber said that HRW will keep documenting the abuses committed in Ukraine, and will try to attract the attention of all sides in the conflict, as well as Moscow to violations of international humanitarian law.
“We will continue to document abuses and bring them to the attention of the authorities in Kiev, to the rebel forces in eastern Ukraine, and also to the Russian authorities given the considerable influence Russia has over rebels in eastern Ukraine,” Rachel Denber told RIA Novosti.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights published a report on the human rights situation in Ukraine, based on the work of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in the crisis-torn country.
The report covers the period from August 18 to September 16.
"During the reporting period, international humanitarian law, including the principles of military necessity, distinction, proportionality and precaution continued to be violated by armed groups and some units and volunteer battalions under the control of the Ukrainian armed forces," the report says.
The 37-page document also contains testimonial evidence of cases of maltreatment in Ukrainian custody, such as "beatings, poor nutrition and lack of medical assistance." According to the Ukrainian Security Service, as many as 1,000 individuals have been detained on suspicion of being "militants and subversives" from the beginning of military operation in April to August 25.
