Since April 24, 2023 OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting “Torture and Other Grave Breaches of International Humanitarian Law and Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law” started in Vienna, where experts of our Association took active part.
In Meeting’s Session I “Grave Breaches of International Humanitarian Law and Related Obligations” ARC’s expert Tsybulko Olesia reported to participants on tortures as Criminal practice on Russia-occupied territories, regarding relevant illegal Russia’s administrative practices, decisions of European Court on Human Rights adopted and regarding new Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe that is our common inevitable future.
Here is full text of expert Tsybulko’s speech on OSCE meeting.
Association of Reintegration of Crimea stresses the strongest concerns on the ongoing mass tortures and ill-treatment done by Russian aggressors’ troops and Russia-controlled illegal “administrations” on the occupied territories of Ukraine, including Crimea.
Tortures as illegal Russia’s administrative practice are not our allegation and even not the issues of official statements only, including UN reports and resolutions, but such lawless practice is established in the international judgments already.
European Court on Human Rights established in decision on 16 December 2020, in Crimean case Ukraine against Russia, existence of an administrative practice of ill-treatment in Russia-controlled places of non-freedom in Russia-occupied Crimea.
Later European Court established in decision on 30 November 2022, case Ukraine and Netherlands against Russia, that fact of illegal administrative practice in Russia-occupied East of Ukraine consisting of the torture of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers who were prisoners of war, including instances of sexual violence and rape, and inhuman and degrading conditions of non-freedom.
As all those human rights violation and committed on Russia-occupied territories during interstate conflict so they consist a subject of war crimes. Russia-controlled persons and Kremlin’s propaganda deny such obvious facts, but the inclusion of top Russian officials in such international crimes against security and co-operation in Europe can be proved in a simple way.
Russian structures even do not investigate those aspects, and no any “criminal case” was started by numerous aggressor’s punitive bodies on those issues, no one executor of tortures from Russian army was not punished even in formal order.
More, any public discussion regarding any fact of tortures committed by Russian army representatives will be punished on Russia-controlled territory by illegal “fines” and jail as Russian government established.
Some groups on Russia-occupied territories are most vulnerable for tortures, that are hostages from Ukrainian civil activists, prisoners of war, kept by Russia in Crimea in awful conditions, Ukrainian children, deported from mainland to Crimea and Russia as Kremlin’s genocidal practice, representatives of indigenous Crimean Tatar People and various minorities. Russian mercenaries and paramilitary structures in Crimea are also tool of such Russian illegal policy.
Distinguished participants, Russia is recognized on global level as aggressor state and many states recognized officially its terroristic nature, that includes tortures as a tool of modern Russian Nazism, militarism, and imperialism.
International courts and investigation bodies works upon establishment of guilty persons and their responsibility, but as those issues are core part of European security relevant co-operation must be enforced.
Sure OSCE use consensus principle and till Russian delegation is still here it is hard to expect Organization’s full steps on those issues. But we sure that modern non-precedent situation will be finalized in decisions of new Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe that is our common inevitable future.
