Ukraine: Dangerous escalation in conflict proving
catastrophic for civilians – Zeid
GENEVA (3 February 2015) – UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein on Tuesday urged all sides to halt the dangerous
escalation in the fighting in eastern Ukraine. He called on States and all
those with influence in the region to take measures to ensure full compliance
with the Minsk accords, which have a direct bearing on the human rights
situation in the east of the country.
“Bus stops and public transport, marketplaces, schools and
kindergartens, hospitals and residential areas have become battlegrounds in the
Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine – in clear breach of international
humanitarian law which governs the conduct of armed conflicts,” High
Commissioner Zeid said.
“The death toll now exceeds 5,358 people, and another 12,235
have been wounded since mid-April last year. In just the three weeks up to
February 1, at least 224 civilians have been killed and 545 wounded*. Any
further escalation will prove catastrophic for the 5.2 million people living in
the midst of conflict in eastern Ukraine.”
In particular, there has been a high civilian death toll
from the indiscriminate shelling of residential areas in both
Government-controlled territory, such as the towns of Avdiivka, Debaltseve,
Popasna and Shchastia and the settlement of Stanytsia Luhanska, as well as the
cities of Donetsk and Horlivka controlled by the armed groups. In the single
most deadly incident involving civilians, at least 31 people were killed and
112 wounded in Mariupol, following two attacks by multiple launch rocket
systems.
“The protection of civilians by all parties to the conflict
must be of the utmost priority,” Zeid said. “All violations of international
humanitarian law and international human rights law must be thoroughly
investigated and perpetrators must be promptly brought to justice.”
The High Commissioner also expressed concern about the
implications of the harsh winter months on civilians in conflict-affected
areas, with shortages of food and water and power cuts. The plight of these
civilians has been compounded by Government decisions that have resulted in
further restrictions on the freedom of movement and socio-economic isolation.
The prolongation of the conflict would make the humanitarian situation
untenable for millions of people, Zeid stressed.
“The public declarations by representatives of the armed
groups, rejecting the ceasefire agreement and vowing to scale up the offensive
are extremely dangerous and deeply worrying,” Zeid said. “They add to the
terrifying predicament of the civilians who are trapped in the areas, and the
total breakdown of law and order. I urge all States with influence to work
together to ensure that parties to the conflict immediately cease hostilities
and abide by earlier ceasefire decisions.”
There are also worrying developments in the Autonomous
Republic of Crimea, the status of which is prescribed by UN General Assembly
resolution 68/262, in particular with regard to multiple violations of the
rights of Crimean Tatars.
Last week the premises of ATR, the only television channel
broadcasting in the Crimean Tatar language, were raided by armed, masked men in
unmarked military clothing, and the Deputy Head of the Crimean Tatar Mejlis,
Mr. Ahtem Ciygoz, was detained. He faces up to 10 years in prison for creating
“mass disturbances”.
More than 20,000 people have been internally displaced from
Crimea to mainland Ukraine since the March “referendum”, which followed the
takeover of the peninsula by so-called self-defence forces almost a year ago.
Subsequently Russian legislation and citizenship were introduced in Crimea.
The Human Rights Mission in Ukraine will issue its next
report on the situation in the country, including Crimea, at the beginning of
March.
* The casualty figure is a conservative estimate of the HRMU
and WHO based on available official data: casualties of the Ukrainian armed
forces as reported by the Ukrainian authorities; 298 people from flight MH-17;
and casualties reported by civil medical establishments of Donetsk and Luhansk
regions: civilians and some members of the armed groups. HRMU and WHO believe
that the actual numbers of fatalities are considerably higher.
ENDS
For more information and media requests, please contact
Ravina Shamdasani (+41 22 917 9169 orrshamdasani@ohchr.org)
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