03/05/2022 14:59

Had a meeting with the Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine Matilda Bogner

Spoke about my activities under martial law and the work of the 24-hour hotline of the Commissioner.  As of today, I have received almost 43,000 appeals.  One third of such appeals concern the search for missing military and civilian citizens.  We process them together with the relevant state bodies and pass them on to the ICRC and the ICC investigators.

They also touched upon the deportation of the population of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to Russia.  Stressed that the forced deportation of civilians from Ukraine was planned in advance by the russian authorities and is part of the genocide of the Ukrainian people.  I have insider information about the list of establishments, hotels, private apartments, approved in February 2022, with the contacts of managers and owners where our citizens are accommodated.  These data are updated daily by the occupiers.

Russian law enforcement agencies report that 1.1 million residents of the occupied territories of Ukraine have already been deported to Russia, of which about 200,000 are children.  I have received a number of appeals from Ukrainian citizens and russian volunteers about thousands of deportees who have been distributed by the rashists in the depressed regions of Russia.  These people need to return to Ukraine or move to European countries.

We are currently working on an international working group on ombudsmen of the countries bordering Russia to work out a mechanism for the return of our citizens from Russia.  Representatives of the ICRC and UNHCR will also join its work.

The activities of the special telephone line of the Commissioner for Psychological Assistance, established with the support of UNICEF, were discussed.  During the month of its work, more than 650 calls from people affected by the war have been received.  The military and civilians with suicidal attitudes, the so-called "survivors' syndrome", citizens who have survived torture and sexual violence.

Focused on the observance of the rights of prisoners of war in accordance with the Geneva Convention.  Stressed that after the inspection of the conditions of detention of russian prisoners of war by the Commissioner's Office, no violations of their rights were recorded.

Instead, Ukraine has evidence of torture and ill-treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russia.

It was agreed with Ms. Bogner to continue joint work on documenting war crimes and crimes against the humanity of the Russian Federation in Ukraine.