Independent OSCE Moscow Mechanism experts: Russia's systematic and widespread arbitrary killings and torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity
On September 25, in Vienna, at the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), experts from the mission, established under the so-called OSCE Moscow Mechanism, presented their report on violations and abuses of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the Russian Federation's treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
The mission's experts concluded that Russia is deliberately committing serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law against Ukrainian prisoners of war, such as executions of Ukrainian soldiers who have laid down their arms, arbitrary killings, torture and other ill-treatment, and inhumane detention conditions; these violations are widespread and systematic and may amount to war crimes and even crimes against humanity.
Donatas Žiugžda, Chargé d'Affaires of the Permanent Mission of Lithuania to the International Organisations in Vienna, emphasised that the evidence presented in the report and Moscow's demonstrative refusal to cooperate with the experts reveal Russia's undisguised contempt for the lives and human dignity of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
He also expressed Lithuania's determination to make every effort to hold Russia accountable for the crimes committed and called on other OSCE participating States to do everything possible to ensure that the important recommendations contained in the report are implemented immediately and consistently.
The report, prepared by three independent experts - Professor Hervé Ascensio, Professor Veronika Bílková, and Professor Mark Klamberg - details cases of Russia's ill-treatment of prisoners of war, provides evidence of such treatment, raises questions about Russia's accountability, and makes recommendations to Russia, Ukraine, and other OSCE participating States and international organisations.
One of the OSCE's human dimension instruments - the Moscow Mechanism - has been activated for the fifth time at the initiative of 41 OSCE participating States, including Lithuania, with the support of Ukraine, to assess war crimes and crimes against humanity committed following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The Moscow Mechanism report is available here.
