
Role of Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine
The UN Human Rights Council established the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine in 2022 to look into any claims of abuses and violations of international humanitarian law, human rights violations, and related crimes in relation to the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine.
Ukraine Crisis and the Commission’s Mandate
In its report to the UN General Assembly, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine provided additional proof that Russian authorities had carried out indiscriminate attacks, war crimes involving torture, rape and other sexual violence, and the deportation of minors to the Russian Federation. Thousands of impacted citizens have experienced further misery and sufferings as the armed war in Ukraine enters its second year.
Addressing International Human Rights Concerns
Interviews with witnesses and victims revealed that Russian authorities in these situations showed a severe disrespect for human dignity. Witnesses described instances in which the victim of torture died as a result of the abuse’s extreme ferocity. Co-detainees in a detention facility in a school in the Kherson region’s Bilia Rivka hamlet demanded medical attention after one of the tortured victims developed respiratory difficulty right away. The victim passed away in an hour as a result of the Russian military’s refusal.
Contributions to Conflict Resolution
The Commission looked into other reports of unaccompanied minors being sent by Russian officials to territories they controlled in Ukraine or the Russian Federation. It decided that the May 2022 transfer of 31 children from Ukraine to Russia constituted an illegal deportation, a war crime. Information pertaining to actions that seem to be intended to permit certain children to stay in the Russian Federation for extended periods of time worries the Commission.
Interaction with the United Nations
The creation of a worldwide legal framework, which is essential to furthering global peace and security as well as social and economic development, is one of the UN’s greatest accomplishments. International law is entrenched in conventions, treaties and norms. The laws that regulate international relations are based in large part on the treaties that the United Nations has negotiated. The United Nations’ work in this field affects people’s lives on a daily basis everywhere, even if it does not always garner notice.
Scrutiny of War Crimes
The gathered evidence further demonstrates that the deportation of minors to the Russian Federation and the deliberate slaughter, torture, and sexual assault of women and children are war crimes carried out by the Russian government. The results of the Commission’s investigations supported its earlier conclusion that the Russian government had routinely and widely utilized torture in a variety of detention facilities that they owned and operated.
Embracing International Legal Frameworks
The Russian authorities have been judged by the Commission to have violated international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and related crimes in territories of Ukraine that they controlled. It detailed more indiscriminate assaults by the Russian military that resulted in civilian casualties and fatalities as well as the destruction and damage of civilian property.
Exploring Political Instability
A culture of impunity developed as a result of the government’s overall failure to take appropriate action to investigate, prosecute, or penalize officials who committed violations. The government moved to find, prosecute, and discipline officials who had engaged in corruption. Resolutions passed by the UN General Assembly on March 3 and October 12 denounced Russia’s invasion and its alleged annexation of Ukrainian territory.
Humanitarian Dimensions of the Crisis
Services related to health are also impacted. WHO reports that since the airstrikes intensified on December 29 and continued until January 11, 11 attacks that have affected healthcare have been confirmed in Ukraine; these assaults account for more than half of the 21 occurrences that have been validated worldwide during this time. Over the last several days, humanitarian groups have persisted in providing relief to those affected by the recent assaults, in spite of obstacles like reported damage to aid facilities in Kherson.
Conclusion
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine appears as a back bone in the global response to the crisis. The investigations revealed that the Ukrainian authorities had violated human rights against people they suspected of working with the Russian government included in the report. The Commission stresses the significance of responsibility in all of its forms, while treating victims’ rights with the utmost consideration and respect.