The Media Initiative for Human Rights is conducting a large-scale study of how Russians treat Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians. During one of the stages, 72 former prisoners held by Russia were interviewed. Among them were 14 civilians and 58 military.
In Russia, Ukrainian prisoners are constantly being moved from one place of detention to another to hide their traces. A person can visit six different colonies, detention centers or prisons during his or her detention.
This time, MIPL analyzed the testimonies of former prisoners from three Russian detention centers, 32 of whom were held in Kursk SIZO No. 1, 25 in Taganrog SIZO No. 2, and 15 in Novozybkovsk SIZO No. 2.
80% of respondents said they had been subjected to violence, 21% said they had witnessed the deaths of other prisoners. 11% of those released stated that their limbs were broken in captivity. The same percentage of victims lost consciousness during torture.
The study demonstrates the same practices of treatment of Ukrainian prisoners in all three of these Russian SIZOs. However, former prisoners and civilian detainees from other SIZOs, colonies and prisons give similar testimonies.
All of this points to a coordinated systemic policy of Russia to commit war crimes and other international crimes against Ukrainians by its representatives. The systematic, large-scale, politically motivated violation of the rights of Ukrainian prisoners of war and illegally detained civilians can be considered a crime against humanity.
The material was prepared with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation. The material represents the position of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the position of the International Renaissance Foundation.
