HRC57 - Interactive Dialogue with Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine

UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

57^th session

Interactive Dialogue with Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine

23 September 2024

EU Statement

Mr. President,

Over the past weeks, Russia continued escalating large-scale drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, spanning from Lviv to Poltava, Kramatorsk to Kyiv, in blatant defiance of the UN Charter and international law.

The European Union once again demands Russia to cease its illegal, unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression, including the relentless airstrikes against Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure. These attacks have indiscriminately killed civilians, destroyed residential buildings, hospitals, schools, and power plants, blatantly violating, international law, with the clear aim of making the lives of civilians harder in light of the coming winter. This underscores the necessity for Ukraine to exercise its legitimate right to self-defense enshrined in the UN Charter, to restore its territorial integrity, and to safeguard its sovereignty and independence.

We are gravely alarmed by the findings of your latest report documenting how Russian authorities have committed a wide array of violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including war crimes related to torture, wilful killings, rape and sexual and gender-based violence, and the forcible transfer of children in violation of international humanitarian and human rights law.

Distinguished Commissioners, since the release of your latest report in March, could you share any developments related to the treatment of civilian detainees and Prisoners of War by Russian authorities?