The Commissioner publishes her memorandum on the human rights consequences of the war in Ukraine

The Russian Federation’s attack has resulted in serious and massive violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, with disastrous effects on the enjoyment of virtually all human rights by people in Ukraine. The Commissioner was confronted with compelling evidence of patterns of violations of the right to life committed by Russian troops, including arbitrary killings and enforced disappearances; violations of the right to property, including massive destruction of civilian infrastructure; cases of torture and ill-treatment, gender-based violence and war-related sexual violence; and violations of the right to liberty and security, including abductions and arbitrary or incommunicado detention. Identifiable patterns of certain types of violations of international humanitarian law, including attacks of a widespread or systematic character, point to the possible qualification of many such violations as war crimes or crimes against humanity.  full article