17 April 2015
Spokesperson for the
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Ravina Shamdasani
Location: Geneva
Subject:
Ukraine
We are increasingly worried that the dire human rights
situation in areas of the east of Ukraine is likely to deteriorate further as a
result of breaches in the ceasefire. There are reports of intensification of
fighting, especially in the vicinity of the Donetsk airport and near the
village of Shyrokine in the Donetsk region, where heavy weapons, including
mortars, artillery and tanks are reportedly extensively used - in violation of
provisions of the Minsk Agreement.
In one day alone, on 13 April, the Ukrainian armed forces
reported six servicemen killed and 12 wounded, while the self-proclaimed
‘Donetsk people’s republic’ and self-proclaimed ‘Luhansk people’s republic’
claimed four of their fighters were killed and 17 wounded. We fear a further
escalation of hostilities.
Since April 2014, at least 6,116 people, both military
personnel and civilians, have been killed* and 15,474 wounded. These figures
are estimates, up to 14 April 2015, and the actual number of casualties could
be considerably higher. Hundreds of people remain missing and hundreds of
bodies are still pending recovery and/or identification.
Civilians continue to suffer seriously as a result of the
protracted conflict. So far, in 2015 alone, about 400 civilians have been
killed as a result of indiscriminate shelling of residential areas and because
of landmines and unexploded ordnance – both in Government-controlled
territories and in territories controlled by armed groups.
The killings in Kyiv of a former parliamentarian, Oleh
Kalashnikov, and of two journalists, Oles Buzyna and Serhiy Sukhobok, are also
very disturbing and must result in a swift, independent and credible
investigation shedding light on these crimes and ensuring justice and
accountability for those responsible.
The protection of civilians must be considered the utmost
priority and those committing violations of human rights and international
humanitarian law, in any part of the country and by any side to the conflict,
must be held accountable.
The conflict also continues to severely affect the daily
life of the population, both in conflict-affected zones and in the rest of
Ukraine. The proliferation of arms, the lack of job opportunities, limited
access to medical and psychological rehabilitation, particularly for more than
20,000 demobilised soldiers, and a deep anxiety that the ceasefire may not hold
all have a serious impact on the population.
We urge all parties to comply at all times with
international humanitarian law and human rights law and respect the provisions
contained in the Minsk Agreement.
ENDS
* The casualty figures are estimated by the UN Human Rights
Office and the World Health Organisation.
For more information, please contact Ravina Shamdasani (+41
22 917 9169 / rshamdasani@ohchr.org).
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