Kate Gilmore. UN Photo/Amanda Voisard
Originally appeared at Antifashist, translated by Mario Kuoljok exclusively for SouthFront; Edited by Desi Tzoneva
Unpunished human rights violations in Ukraine undermine efforts to establish the country’s rule of law and create distrust towards institutions of law enforcement. Most crimes of this nature are committed by the Ukrainian security forces – this was stated by the Deputy UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Kate Gilmore.
During her speech, Kate Gilmore added to the report on the situation of human rights in Ukraine that 70% of recorded cases of human rights violations in the country relate to torture, illegal detention and maltreatment of prisoners.
Most violations are committed by the employees of the Security Services of Ukraine and the police, reports Ria Novosti Ukraine.
“Failure [in] investigating and punishing such crimes is unfair and nourishes the distrust towards the institutions of power. It leads to the repetition of violence, undermines efforts to create a more robust rule of law and undermines prospects for reconciliation,” she said.
Data from the monitoring mission of the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) of the UN also suggests that “the Ukrainian authorities are allowed to imprison individuals in secret and for long periods of time in such places as the basement of the building of SBU in Mariupol.” According to OHCHR, the Ukrainian authorities are also not doing enough to punish the perpetrators of such crimes, are not ensuring an impartial trial and the hearings are often accompanied by pressure on judges, as happened in the proceedings with the members of ‘Azov’, who have been accused of hooliganism.
It will be recalled that on 25 May, the delegation of the UN Sub-committee on Prevention of Torture was forced to end its visit to Ukraine early due to the inability of the members’ ability to assess the implementation of recommendations provided to Kiev after the first visit in 2011. The Ukrainian side has denied the members of the mission access to several places where, in their suspicion, the officers of the Security Services of Ukraine deprive people of freedoms.
Later, Minister Vasyl Hrytsak, called this decision legitimate, stating that buildings of regional departments in Mariupol and Kramatorsk contain weapons and classified equipment.
