On February 10 UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Alice Jill Edwards, urged Russian authorities to provide immediate and comprehensive medical care to several Ukrainian civilian detainees, originally from Crimea, who are currently being held in Russia.
Edwards stressed that denial of medical care could amount to a form of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
“In all eight of the cases I examined, detainees have serious medical conditions, some of which are reported to be life-threatening,” the Special Rapporteur said. “Urgent action is needed to protect their lives.”
The expert noted that at least two people required medical attention after being beaten by prison staff. In one case, the violence was allegedly so severe that the victim’s spine was fractured. Three individuals with disabilities are allegedly not being provided appropriate health services considering their impairments.
“Hundreds of Ukrainian civilians have been deprived of their liberty in Crimea since the start of the Russian occupation 10 years ago,” Edwards said. “Many are allegedly being held on political grounds and some have been abusively charged with terrorism-related offences. Many have been illegally transferred out of the territory and detained within the Russian Federation, far away from family and lawyers.”
The Special Rapporteur noted a consistent lack of medical care and poor detention conditions. “There is often violence in detention. As a result, some have developed serious, even life-threatening, illnesses,” she said.
The cases examined by the expert include those of Emir-Useyin Kuku and Irina Danilovich. The UN Press Service provided detailed descriptions of their situations.
“This comes more than a year after my assessment that torture and ill-treatment are part of Russia’s war policy,” the Special Rapporteur said. “Torture continues to be carried out in an organised and systematic manner. Russia must put an end to these abuses without further delay.”
The Special Rapporteur has sent a written appeal to the aggressor government on this issue and will continue to monitor the situation.
Let us recall that our Association periodically informs the UN Special Rapporteur on torture about the grave situation on this issue in Crimea and other occupied territories of Ukraine; our reports have been published by the Special Rapporteur and they have served as a component for the formation of her reports.
