We welcome the presentation by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights of the UN Secretary-General interim report on the human rights situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, and the 39th periodic report on the human rights situation in Ukraine for the period from 1 March to 31 May 2024.
For the first time since 2016, the UN Secretary-General's report addresses the human rights situation in all temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, pursuant to UNGA resolution (78/221).
Based on documented facts, the UN Secretary-General concluded that the Russian Federation has committed violations of international human rights and humanitarian law since the full-scale invasion on 24 February and while temporarily controlling or occupying certain areas of the Kherson, Zaporizhia, Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. The UN chief has found that the violations in these areas were even more serious than in Crimea and included torture, abuse, sexual violence, arbitrary arrests and summary executions.
The report contains information on the use of torture against 108 civilian detainees, including 34 cases of sexual violence. It also documented the extrajudicial executions of at least 29 civilians. The document notes that these violations continue to be perpetrated in a context of widespread impunity.
We support the UNSG in calling on the Russian Federation to comply with its international obligations and stress the importance of holding Russia and its political and military leadership to account for the crimes committed by its armed forces in Ukraine.
The forced displacement of civilians, including children, and the imposition of Russian citizenship on them are given particular attention in the report. We call on the international community to step up the pressure on the Russian Federation to ensure the identification and safe return of children who have been illegally deported.
OHCHR's 39th periodic report on the human rights situation in Ukraine was also presented at the meeting. OHCHR notes that significant civilian casualties and extensive damage to infrastructure have resulted from the increased intensity of attacks by Russian forces. OHCHR has identified the use of high-powered air-dropped bombs and missiles in populated areas as the main cause of significant damage. Furthermore, the Russian forces ground offensive into Kharkiv region in May 2024, as well as accompanying attacks in Kharkiv city led to the highest monthly average number of civilian casualties in nearly a year.
Special attention is paid to the family members of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian hostages, as the Russian Federation has denied them regular communication with the outside world. Moreover, the impunity for violations committed by the armed forces has been further entrenched by a new law in the Russian Federation. At the same time, OHCHR notes positively the measures taken by the Government of Ukraine during the reporting period to improve compliance with international human rights and humanitarian law.
We demand that the Russian Federation guarantee unhindered access for the OHCHR and other international and regional monitoring mechanisms to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including Crimea, in order to ensure the proper implementation by the UN Secretary-General of the relevant UN General Assembly resolutions.