DemocracyNow!, May 16, 2024 https://www.democracynow.org/2024/5/16/ukraine_russia
Ukrainian forces are withdrawing from some areas in the northeastern region of Kharkiv as Russian forces continue a new offensive that has displaced thousands. This latest setback for Ukraine comes more than two years after Russia invaded the country. Human Rights Watch has documented several incidents of Russian soldiers summarily executing surrendering Ukrainian soldiers, with drone footage showing the killings “in clear detail,” says Belkis Wille, associate director with the Crisis, Conflict, and Arms Division at Human Rights Watch. “They take off their vests, they put down their helmets, they lie on the ground and put their hands up. And then we see them being executed by Russian soldiers in cold blood.” . . . NERMEEN SHAIKH: And, Belkis, for this, the Human Rights Watch report <https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/05/02/ukraine-russian-forces-executed-surrendering-ukraine-soldiers> that we’re talking about, you wrote — Human Rights Watch wrote a letter to the Russian defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, at the end — towards the end of April, asking about the incidents that you document. If you could explain what the letter said and whether you’ve received a response? You’ve also pointed out that Human Rights Watch for decades has documented Russian war crimes, from Chechnya to Syria and now in Ukraine. Has the Russian government responded in the past to requests from Human Rights Watch for responses to incidents that you have documented? BELKIS WILLE: In this letter, we asked about these very specific incidents. We shared with them links to access the drone footage that we reviewed. We asked them to share with us what information there was into why these killings occurred, why these Ukrainian soldiers were executed. And we wanted to know whether there’s actually an order that’s been put in place, a command telling Russian soldiers to execute Ukrainian soldiers rather than take them prisoners — of course, a very serious war crime. We did not receive a response to that letter. And as you said, in the, sadly, decades of our documentation of war crimes committed by Russia, we do not receive substantive responses to our letters at all. And so, it really blocks any ability on our side to directly engage with the Russian government and with the Russian army on the abuses that continue to be perpetrated. And what we don’t see, or we don’t know of, is any measures being taken by the Russian military to hold its own soldiers accountable when they commit war crimes. . . . -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#30351): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/30351 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/106143073/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
