UN Report Reveals Sexual Torture by Russian Forces in Ukraine
A UN report has revealed evidence of sexual torture by Russian forces against civilians in occupied areas of Ukraine. Citing 10 cases, the report highlights a pattern of sexualized violence, including rape and threats. The practices aim to intimidate and control civilians, violating international law. The UN is calling for Russia to be held accountable, as sexual violence in conflict remains a global concern.
A group of UN experts said Thursday they have concrete evidence of at least 10 cases in which Russian military personnel used sexual torture to intimidate civilians in occupied areas of Ukraine. The announcement comes days after the UN Secretary-General warned Moscow about the use of sexual violence in combat environments.
According to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, Alice Jill Edwards, the reported cases involve attacks against four women and six men, representing "only a small snapshot of a broader and well-documented pattern of torture risks for civilians in occupied areas."
"All of these attacks were highly sexualized, including rape, threats of rape, and other depraved conduct," Edwards said in statements provided by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. "It is becoming increasingly clear that the Russian Federation's deliberate and systematic torture policy in Ukraine involves sexualized torture and other sexualized cruelties, including against the civilian population."
The report mentions the indiscriminate use of electric shocks, "including in the genital area," as well as physical assaults, waterboardings, and mock executions. Arbitrary arrests, disappearances, and other violations were recorded, as well as deaths of people in detention "due to the lack of medical care."
"The Russian Federation is using torture to intimidate, instill fear, and control civilians in occupied Ukraine," the rapporteur points out. "A rudimentary rule of international warfare is that civilians must be protected. Russia appears to have completely abandoned international rules. It is past time for them to be held accountable for these illegal practices and for more pressure to be exerted by all states with influence over them."
Since the war began in February 2022, Russia has been accused of using sexual violence against captured fighters and also against civilians in occupied areas, as highlighted in the report released this Thursday and other reports that predate Vladimir Putin's invasion.
"There are thousands of women suffering unimaginable horrors, separated from their children, without access to medical or legal assistance," Lyudmila Huseynova of Ukraine, who was held captive by pro-Moscow militias in eastern Ukraine for more than three years, said last year at a United Nations event on the use of sexual torture in war. "No amount of protection, assistance, or accountability after the fact is a substitute for peace."
Last week, Reuters revealed that, in a report on sexual violence in wartime, UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated that Russia and Israel, amid the conflict in the Gaza Strip since 2023, could be included on the list of states "suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape or other forms of sexual violence."
Guterres said he was "deeply concerned by credible information about violations committed by Russian armed and security forces and allied armed groups," and cited attacks on prisoners of war in at least 50 official and 22 unofficial detention centers.
"These cases included a significant number of documented incidents of genital violence, including electrocution, beatings, and burning of the genitals, as well as forced stripping and prolonged nudity, used to humiliate and extract confessions or information," the secretary-general stated in the report.
Russia has not commented on the allegations, which Israel calls "inconsistent": at the time, Israel's representative to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said that "the UN must focus on the shocking war crimes and sexual violence committed by Hamas and the release of all hostages," and that "Israel will not hesitate to protect its citizens and will continue to act in accordance with international law."
UN Report: https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1148026
Video: https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2024/12/31/sde-teiman-israels-notorious-detention-facility
Video UN chief puts Israel Russia on notice over conflict-related sexual abuse: In his annual report to the Security Council on conflict-related sexual violence, Guterres put Israel and Russia "on notice" that they could be listed next year among parties "credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape or other forms of sexual violence." https://ok.ru/video/10100176128675