HRDs will speak about torture and persecution of civilians as crimes against humanity by the Russian authorities in Ukraine at the OSCE human dimension conference

Human Rights Centre ZMINA, World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR), International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) will hold a side event “Torture and Persecution of Civilians as Crimes Against Humanity by the Russian Authorities in Ukraine: Ensuring International Accountability” at the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference. It will take place on the 7th of October at 16:00 in the Krolewski Hall.

Civil society investigations show that having seized control over some territories of Ukraine in 2022, the Russian military deployed an extensive system of filtration measures to identify and subject to arrest, torture, sexual violence and related offences anyone they suspected of disloyalty to the Russian military and political command and the so-called ‘Russian World’ ideology. 

The scale and pre-planned nature of these crimes, as well as the involvement of various Russian Federation State structures acting in a coordinated manner, suggests that these crimes may amount to the crime against humanity of persecution.

We will delve into a discussion on the practical aspects of the structural investigation in common elements of alleged crimes against humanity and building strong legal cases involving the above-mentioned crimes against civilians in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine and against those civilians transferred to Russia. 

At the event, speakers and participants will discuss:

• New report “Torture and other violations as crimes against humanity by the Russian army in Ukraine” by OMCT, MIHR and ZMINA, including revealed patterns and legal analysis 
• The role of hate speech in the crime against humanity of persecution and its linkage with torture and related offences by Russian authorities in Ukraine
• Present advocacy and legal strategy to build a case on the above-mentioned crimes and violations  as crimes against humanity before ICC, as well as a systematic policy of human rights violations before the UN human rights bodies  
• Discuss ways of supporting survivors of torture and conflict-related sexual violence through the improvement of medico-legal documentation 

Speakers:

• Yelyzaveta Sokurenko, Head of the War Crimes Documentation Department, Human Rights Centre ZMINA
• Maryia Kvitsinskaya, Human Rights Adviser for Europe and Central Asia, World Organisation Against Torture 
• Ilya Nuzov, Head of the International Justice Desk, International Federation for Human Rights
• Uliana Poltavets, Ukraine Emergency Response Coordinator, Physicians for Human Rights

Moderator:

• Lyubov Smachylo, Head of Analytical Department, Media Initiative for Human Rights 

Contact person: Tetiana Zhukova, International Advocacy Manager, Human Rights Centre ZMINA, tz@zmina.ua