For the first time, the UN Security Council publicly discussed the torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war

Yesterday, during a meeting of the UN Security Council, Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo stated that Russia had grossly violated the rights of Ukrainian prisoners of war. This is a precedent, as the issue of Ukrainian prisoners of war has not been discussed at the highest international level before. Here is what Ms. DiCarlo said:

— Since February 2022, the UN has interviewed over 280 Ukrainian POWs who returned from Russian captivity.  Just in the past week, our colleagues in the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine interviewed 31 prisoners of war who returned in early January. What we hear in these interviews is harrowing. Only very few had been able to communicate with their families during their internment.

Over 90 per cent say they were tortured. Many said they did not receive enough food or medical treatment they urgently needed. We continue to urge the Russian Federation to provide independent international monitors unfettered access to POWs. The parties must fulfil their obligations under the Geneva Conventions. We commend Ukraine for the progress made in this regard.