Original Broadcaster Captioning (Enhanced). Treat it as a searchable index of what was broadcast, not a quotation record.
00:01:19IS JUST OVER 90 MINUTES.
00:01:59>> IT IS AN HONOR TO WELCOME YOU TO THIS AREA. FORMULA MEETING,
00:02:02CO-ORGANIZED BY LATVIA AND
00:02:06CO-SPONSORED BY UKRAINE, AND THE
00:02:09THEME OF TODAY'S EVENT IS IMPLEMENTING INTERNATIONAL
00:02:12HUMANITARIAN LAW. PRISONERS OF
00:02:13WAR, CIVILIAN DETAINEES, AND FOREIGN FIGHTERS. IN THE CONTEXT
00:02:17OF RUSSIA'S WAR AGAINST UKRAINE.
00:02:21THIS YEAR ALONE, THE SECURITY
00:02:25COUNCIL HAS CONVENED 11 OPEN BRIEFINGS ON RUSSIA'S AGGRESSION
00:02:28AGAINST UKRAINE IN RESPONSE TO NUMEROUS BRUTAL ATTACKS ON
00:02:32CIVILIANS AND CIVILIAN INFRASTRUCTURE, TARGETING OF
00:02:36HUMANITARIANS AND THEIR AID
00:02:38INFRASTRUCTURE, ATTACKS AGAINST DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS, RECKLESS
00:02:42VIOLATIONS OF NEIGHBORING AIRSPACE, AND DELIBERATE ATTACKS
00:02:45ON UKRAINE'S GRAIN DISRUPTING
00:02:48CRITICAL FOOD SUPPLIES, AND
00:02:49ENDANGERING GLOBAL FOOD AND
00:02:52MARITIME SECURITY ON THESE
00:02:55ATTACKS, INCLUDING CASUALTIES, HAVE BEEN THOROUGHLY DOCUMENTED
00:02:57BECAUSE UKRAINE PROVIDES FULL AND UNIMPEDED ACCESS TO THE
00:03:01UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM AND THE
00:03:03ICRC, WITH THE PURPOSE OF
00:03:05TODAY'S AREA MEETING, IS TO
00:03:08FOCUS ON THE PEOPLE WHO SHOULD BE PROTECTED BY INTERNATIONAL
00:03:12HUMANITARIAN LAW AND INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW,
00:03:15BUT WHOSE RIGHTS RUSSIA VIOLATES
00:03:16EVERY DAY SO TODAY, WE FOCUS ON
00:03:21THREE ISSUES. FIRST, WE ARE DRAWING ATTENTION TO THE
00:03:24VIOLATION OF THE GENEVA CONVENTIONS AGAINST THOUSANDS OF
00:03:27ARBITRARILY DETAINED UKRAINIAN
00:03:30CIVILIANS. HOW CAN WE ENSURE THEIR FREEDOM AND PROTECTION?
00:03:33HOW CAN WE ENSURE THAT RUSSIA DOES NOT TAKE POLITICAL
00:03:37PRISONERS AND INSTEAD COMPLIES
00:03:38WITH ITS OBLIGATIONS UNDER
00:03:41INTERNATIONAL LAW? SECOND, WE ARE HIGHLIGHTING THE SYSTEMIC
00:03:45TORTURE, ILL TREATMENT, CONFLICT RELATED SEXUAL VIOLENCE, AND
00:03:49EXECUTIONS ENDURED BY UKRAINIAN PRISONERS OF WAR IN RUSSIAN
00:03:52CUSTODY, WHAT PRACTICAL MEASURES
00:03:55CAN BE TAKEN TO FACILITATE THE EXCHANGE AND RETURN OF PRISONERS
00:03:58OF WAR AND CIVILIAN DETAINEES?
00:04:02HOW CAN WE ENSURE THAT ICRC HAS FULL ACCESS TO FULFILL ITS
00:04:06MANDATE? THIRD, WE ADDRESS THE
00:04:09ISSUE OF FOREIGN FIGHTERS. MANY
00:04:12GOVERNMENTS FROM ASIA, THE MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA AND LATIN
00:04:16AMERICA ARE RAISING ALARM AND ISSUING WARNINGS FOR RUSSIA TO
00:04:19STOP THE ILLICIT RECRUITMENT OF THEIR NATIONALS AND TO ITS ARMED
00:04:22FORCES AND MILITARY INDUSTRY. HOW CAN WE COORDINATE OUR
00:04:26EFFORTS MORE EFFECTIVELY TO STOP
00:04:28THIS? AND THE GOAL IS TO EXAMINE
00:04:31WHAT THE COUNCIL CAN DO TO STOP THESE VIOLATIONS OF
00:04:35INTERNATIONAL LAW. AND TODAY, WE ARE GIVING THE VOICE TO THE
00:04:38PEOPLE. RUSSIA WANTS TO SILENCE, AND I ADMIRE THE STRENGTH AND
00:04:42COURAGE OF THE SURVIVORS WHO TURNED THEIR HARROWING
00:04:45EXPERIENCES INTO TESTIMONIES. IT
00:04:46IS AN HONOR TO HAVE YOU HERE,
00:04:50AND FOR SHARING YOUR STORY. I
00:04:52ALSO THANK THE UNITED NATIONS
00:04:54AGENCIES AND JOURNALISTS WHO
00:04:57WORK TIRELESSLY TO EXPOSE THESE VIOLATIONS, ENABLING THE COUNCIL
00:05:01TO ACT ON THE BASIS OF FACTS AND
00:05:04VERIFIED DATA, INCLUDING EVIDENCE OF VIOLATIONS COMMITTED
00:05:07BY RUSSIA, THOUSANDS OF KILOMETERS AWAY FROM THE
00:05:10BATTLEFIELD. THE GOAL LISTEN AND
00:05:13TO LOOK FOR SOLUTIONS. AND WITH
00:05:18THIS, I WILL NOW GIVE THE FLOOR,
00:05:19UH, TO OUR CO-ORGANIZERS DEPUTY
00:05:25PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM, TO THE UNITED NATIONS.
00:05:28>> THANK YOU. CHAIR, THE UNITED
00:05:32KINGDOM REMAINS DEEPLY CONCERNED BY REPORTS OF SYSTEMATIC, ILL
00:05:36TREATMENT OF PRISONERS OF WAR, CIVILIAN DETAINEES, AND
00:05:40VULNERABLE FOREIGN NATIONALS BY RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES AS THEY
00:05:42PURSUE THEIR FULL SCALE INVASION
00:05:45OF UKRAINE. I ALSO WANT TO THANK
00:05:48THE BRIEFERS FOR JOINING US TODAY TO SHARE THEIR TESTIMONY
00:05:51AND EXPERTISE INTERNATIONAL
00:05:55HUMANITARIAN LAW AND INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW
00:05:57ARE CLEAR. PRISONERS OF WAR AND
00:06:01CIVILIAN DETAINEES MUST BE TREATED HUMANELY. TORTURE,
00:06:04ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCE,
00:06:07ARBITRARY DETENTION, AND ARBITRARY DEPRIVATION OF LIFE
00:06:10ARE PROHIBITED. THESE ARE NOT
00:06:12OPTIONAL STANDARDS. THEY ARE
00:06:16BINDING OBLIGATIONS. THAT'S WHY UN REPORTING AND THE TESTIMONY
00:06:18THAT WE WILL HEAR TODAY IS SO
00:06:21CONCERNING. UN REPORTING HAS
00:06:25DOCUMENTED ARBITRARY DETENTION, ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCE, AND TORTURE OF CIVILIANS, DETAINEES
00:06:29BY RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES, AND
00:06:31ARMED FORCES IN AREAS UNDER
00:06:33THEIR CONTROL. IT HAS ALSO RAISED CONCERNS THAT CIVILIANS
00:06:37APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN USED AS BARGAINING CHIPS IN EXCHANGES,
00:06:40AMOUNTING TO HOSTAGE TAKING, WHICH IS PROHIBITED UNDER
00:06:44INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW. THE EVIDENCE ON PRISONERS OF WAR
00:06:48IS EQUALLY TROUBLING. UN REPORTING HAS DOCUMENTED A
00:06:52SYSTEMATIC, SYSTEMATIC, WIDESPREAD AND CONSISTENT
00:06:55PATTERN OF TORTURE AND ILL TREATMENT AMONGST UKRAINIAN
00:06:59PRISONERS OF WAR RELEASED FROM
00:07:02RUSSIAN CAPTIVITY, ACCORDING TO
00:07:06THE AU, 96% OF RELEASED PRISONERS OF WAR PROVIDED ACCOUNTS OF TORTURE OR ILL
00:07:10TREATMENT. THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS MONITORING MISSION HAS
00:07:13DOCUMENTED ACCOUNTS OF STRESS
00:07:16POSITIONS, ELECTRIC SHOCKS,
00:07:19SUFFOCATION AND MOCK EXECUTIONS
00:07:22WIDER REPORTING, INCLUDING BY THE MOSCOW MECHANISM, ECHOES THESE ACCOUNTS. IT HAS NOTED
00:07:26THAT THIS CONDUCT MAY AMOUNT TO
00:07:29WIDESPREAD AND SYSTEMATIC
00:07:32VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW AND
00:07:34INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW. THEY ALSO DOCUMENT THE DENIAL OF
00:07:37RIGHT TO FAIR TRIAL, UNSAFE
00:07:41DETENTION AND TRANSFER CONDITIONS, AND ARBITRARY
00:07:43KILLINGS. WE ARE ALSO CONCERNED
00:07:46BY FINDINGS OF THE UN MANDATED INDEPENDENT INTERNATIONAL
00:07:50COMMISSION OF INQUIRY ON UKRAINE, ON THE DECEPTIVE AND COERCIVE RECRUITMENT OF FOREIGN
00:07:53NATIONALS TO FIGHT WITH RUSSIAN
00:07:55FORCES. THIS HAS AFFECTED MANY
00:07:58COUNTRIES GLOBALLY, AND THE COMMISSION'S INVESTIGATIONS,
00:08:01INVOLVING NATIONALS FROM 17
00:08:04COUNTRIES, DOCUMENTED INSTANCES IN WHICH INDIVIDUALS WERE
00:08:06DECEIVED OR LURED FROM ABROAD.
00:08:08ABROAD, THROUGH PROMISES OF
00:08:11CIVILIAN WORK TRANSPORTED TO RUSSIA, PRESSED INTO MILITARY
00:08:14CONTRACTS THEY DID NOT
00:08:16UNDERSTAND, AND DEPLOYED TO HAZARDOUS FRONTLINE DUTIES.
00:08:19FINDINGS REPORT THEIR
00:08:21MISTREATMENT AND LASTING TRAUMA.
00:08:23RUSSIA IS BOUND BY THE SAME RULES AS EVERY OTHER STATE
00:08:27ENGAGED IN CONFLICT. RUSSIA HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE PRISONERS OF WAR AND CIVILIAN
00:08:31DETAINEES ARE TREATED HUMANELY. UNDER THE THIRD AND FOURTH
00:08:35GENEVA CONVENTIONS, THE UNITED KINGDOM CALLS ON RUSSIA TO END
00:08:38THESE PRACTICES TO ALLOW MEANINGFUL INTERNATIONAL
00:08:42MONITORING, FACILITATE EXCHANGES AND FAMILY QOM CONTACT, AND
00:08:47COMPLY FULLY WITH ITS OBLIGATIONS UNDER INTERNATIONAL
00:08:50HUMANITARIAN LAW AND INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW COLLEAGUES, THE ISSUES THAT WE
00:08:53WILL HEAR ABOUT TODAY ARE YET ANOTHER CONSEQUENCE OF RUSSIA'S
00:08:56WAR AGAINST UKRAINE. SO I URGE
00:08:59RUSSIA TO COMMIT TO A COMPREHENSIVE CEASEFIRE AND
00:09:01ENGAGE IN NEGOTIATIONS FOR A
00:09:03JUST AND LASTING PEACE. THANK
00:09:07>> I THANK THE UNITED KINGDOM FOR THE INTRODUCTORY REMARKS,
00:09:11AND I WILL NOW GIVE THE FLOOR TO THE CO-SPONSOR,
00:09:15CHARGÉ D'AFFAIRES OF THE PERMANENT MISSION OF UKRAINE TO THE UNITED NATIONS.
00:09:18THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK LATVIA AND
00:09:22THE UNITED KINGDOM FOR CO-SPONSORING THIS EVENT AND
00:09:25ORGANIZING IT, AND ALSO, I WOULD
00:09:28LIKE TO THANK ALL THE PARTICIPATING DELEGATIONS TODAY HERE PRESENT.
00:09:32I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE
00:09:35A.G. FOR HUMAN RIGHTS BEING HERE AND OUR BRIEFERS.
00:09:37MR. MARAWA AND MR. GARCIA, WHO
00:09:40WILL SHARE THEIR DEEPLY PERSONAL STORIES ABOUT THE TOPIC TODAY.
00:09:44THE FORTHCOMING TESTIMONIES WILL
00:09:47BRING US DIRECTLY TO THE HEART OF TODAY'S DISCUSSION.
00:09:50THEY WILL SHOW IN THE MOST HUMAN TERMS, WHY PROTECTION OF THE
00:09:53INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW
00:09:55IS SO IMPORTANT AND WHY WHAT
00:09:57HAPPENS WHEN SYSTEMATICALLY
00:10:01DISREGARDED THE TREATMENT OF PRISONERS OF WAR AND CIVILIAN DETAINEES IS ONE OF THE CLEAREST
00:10:06TESTS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. AND WHETHER THE INTERNATIONAL
00:10:11COMMUNITY IS PREPARED TO DEFEND THIS FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
00:10:15BECAUSE EVEN IN THE WARS, THERE ARE RULES THAT MUST BE RESPECTED, WHICH WAS NUMEROUSLY
00:10:19BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION BY DIFFERENT ACTORS IN THE
00:10:21INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.
00:10:23RUSSIA'S WAR AGAINST UKRAINE HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST
00:10:27DOCUMENTED CONFLICTS IN HISTORY AS WELL AS THE DISTURBING
00:10:31PATTERN OF GRADUAL ACTIONS COMMITTED AGAINST UKRAINIAN
00:10:35PRISONERS OF WAR AND CIVILIAN DETAINEES. THEIR FINDINGS LEAVE LITTLE ROOM
00:10:39FOR DOUBT. TORTURE AND OTHER FORMS OF
00:10:41CRUEL, INHUMAN AND DISREGARDING DIVINE TREATMENT ARE SYSTEMATIC,
00:10:45CONFLICT RELATED. SEXUAL VIOLENCE HAS BEEN
00:10:49DOCUMENTED AGAINST UKRAINIAN PRISONERS OF WAR.
00:10:51CIVILIANS ARE LEGALLY DETAINED,
00:10:55ABDUCTED, PROSECUTED ON FABRICATED CHARGES. AND THE SECRETARY GENERAL'S
00:10:58LATEST REPORT ON THE CONFLICT RELATED SEXUAL VIOLENCE MARKED
00:11:01ANOTHER IMPORTANT MILESTONE BY
00:11:04LISTING THE RUSSIAN ARMED FORCES FOR PATTERNS OF CONFLICT RELATED
00:11:08SEXUAL VIOLENCE COMMITTED AGAINST UKRAINIAN PRISONERS OF WAR.
00:11:11IT'S AN ANOTHER RECOGNITION BY THE UN. THE SYSTEMATIC NATURE OF THIS
00:11:16CRIMES. YET THE COMMUNICATION ALONE
00:11:19CANNOT BE OUR END GOAL.
00:11:20THOUSANDS OF UKRAINIAN PRISONERS OF WAR AND CIVILIANS REMAIN IN
00:11:25RUSSIAN CAPTIVITY. SILENCE OF FAMILIES STILL DO NOT
00:11:27KNOW THE FATE OR WHERE THEY ARE.
00:11:31MANY INDIVIDUALS ARE BELIEVED TO BE HELD BY RUSSIA WITHOUT ANY
00:11:35OFFICIAL ACKNOWLEDGED STATUS. OTHERS REMAIN IN CAPTIVITY SINCE
00:11:38BEFORE THE FULL SCALE INVASION.
00:11:40SO WE HOPE TODAY DISCUSSION WILL
00:11:42BOTH DEEPEN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THIS VIOLATIONS, BUT ALSO
00:11:46IMPORTANT HELP IDENTIFY PRACTICAL WAYS FORWARD.
00:11:50AND HERE IS THE FIVE POINTS. FIRST, WE SHOULD CONTINUE
00:11:54STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF THE UN HUMANITARIAN VIOLATIONS.
00:11:57SECOND, RUSSIA MUST GRANT FULL
00:11:59ACCESS OF ICRC TO THE DETAINEES
00:12:03AND OTHER RELEVANT INTERNATIONAL MONITORING MISSIONS.
00:12:05THIRD, GREATER INTERNATIONAL
00:12:08EFFORTS ARE NEEDED TO FACILITATE
00:12:10PRISONER EXCHANGES, SECURE THE RELEASE OF UNLAWFULLY DETAINED
00:12:13CIVILIANS TO. FOURTH, WE BELIEVE THAT THE
00:12:16SITUATION CALLS FOR FURTHER COLLECTIVE ACTION WITHIN THE UN.
00:12:20AND FINALLY, ACCOUNTABILITY MUST REMAIN AT THE CENTER OF OUR
00:12:24COLLECTIVE EFFORTS. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
00:12:28I THANK THE REPRESENTATIVE OF
00:12:30UKRAINE FOR HIS STATEMENTS AND I
00:12:32WILL NOW GIVE THE FLOOR TO MS. CLAUDIA FUENTES. JULIO, ASSISTANT SECRETARY
00:12:38GENERAL FOR HUMAN RIGHTS.
00:12:40THANK YOU, AMBASSADOR.
00:12:43EXCELLENCIES, DEAR CO-SPONSORS,
00:12:46DISTINGUISHED PARTICIPANTS. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THIS
00:12:49OPPORTUNITY TO BRIEF COUNCIL
00:12:51MEMBERS AND MEMBER STATES. SINCE 2014, THE OFFICE OF THE
00:12:56HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS HAS MAINTAIN A PRESENCE
00:12:58IN UKRAINE THROUGH THE UN.
00:13:01HUMAN RIGHTS MONITORING MISSION.
00:13:04EVERY DAY MY COLLEAGUES ENGAGE WITH VICTIMS AND WITNESSES,
00:13:09CONDUCT SITE VISITS, WHAT ACCESS IS PROVIDED AND UNDERTAKE OTHER
00:13:12WORK TO VERIFY ALLEGED VIOLATION OF INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS
00:13:17LAW AND HUMANITARIAN LAW
00:13:19REGARDLESS OF PERPETRATOR. OVER THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF
00:13:23THIS YEAR, THE BODY THEY
00:13:26VERIFIED A 37% INCREASE IN
00:13:28CIVILIAN CASUALTIES AS COMPARED
00:13:31TO LAST YEAR, THE RESULT OF
00:13:34INCREASING AIRSTRIKES AGAINST POPULATED AREAS AND LARGESCALE
00:13:37USE OF DRONES ALONG THE FRONT LINES.
00:13:41THIS DEADLY PATTERN HAS CONTINUED INTO JULY AND AUGUST,
00:13:45PROMPTING THE UN UNITED NATIONS
00:13:47SECRETARY GENERAL TO CALL FOR
00:13:50URGENT DE-ESCALATION.
00:13:52TODAY WE HOLD IN OUR THOUGHTS
00:13:54THOSE KILLED AND INJURED ALONG
00:13:57WITH THEIR FAMILIES, AS WELL AS THOSE IN DETENTION OR CAPTIVITY,
00:14:02BECAUSE OF THIS WAR. EXCHANGES OF PRISONERS OF WAR
00:14:06ARE ONGOING BETWEEN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AND UKRAINE.
00:14:09THIS IS WELCOME.
00:14:13HOWEVER, IN THE INTERIM OR A
00:14:15CHANCE MONITORING SHOWS THAT THE
00:14:17WIDESPREAD AND SYSTEMATIC TORTURE AND ILL TREATMENT OF
00:14:21UKRAINIAN PRISONERS OF WAR AND CIVILIAN DETAINEES BY THE
00:14:25RUSSIAN FEDERATION AUTHORITIES CONTINUES.
00:14:27THIS INCLUDES SEXUAL VIOLENCE.
00:14:30WE SEE A CHARTER HAS ALSO CONTINUED TO DOCUMENT TORTURE
00:14:34AND ILL TREATMENT OF RUSSIAN AND THIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS
00:14:38PRISONERS OF WAR IN UKRAINIAN CUSTODY. ALBERT.
00:14:41ON A FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENT SCALE
00:14:45OR ITS CHARGED ASSESSMENT OF THE
00:14:47SITUATION IS BASED ON EXTENSIVE
00:14:49AND COMPREHENSIVE MONITORING IN
00:14:51LINE WITH OUR ESTABLISHMENT IDEOLOGY.
00:14:54SINCE FEBRUARY 2022, OUR STAFF
00:14:58HAS CONDUCTED 2000 AND 129
00:15:01CONFIDENTIAL INTERVIEWS WITH
00:15:03PRISONERS OF WAR AND CIVILIAN WITNESS.
00:15:05THIS INCLUDES 910 INTERVIEWS
00:15:08WITH UKRAINIAN PRISONERS OF WAR
00:15:12AND 103 CIVILIAN DETAINEES. FOLLOW IN THEIR RELEASE FROM
00:15:15RUSSIAN CAPTIVITY AS WELL AS 816
00:15:19RUSSIAN AND 57/3 COUNTRY NATIONAL PRISONERS OF WAR WHILE
00:15:23INTERNED IN OFFICIAL FACILITIES
00:15:25IN GOVERNMENT CONTROLLED
00:15:28TERRITORY OF UKRAINE, WHERE IT
00:15:31HAS REGULAR AND IN BEAT ACCESS
00:15:34OR TO A CHARGE CONTINUES TO URGE
00:15:36THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION TO
00:15:38PROVIDE ACCESS TO VASILY.
00:15:40THIS IN OCCUPIED TERRITORY OF UKRAINE AND IN THE RUSSIAN
00:15:44FEDERATION. EXCELLENCIES, SINCE FEBRUARY
00:15:482022, OHCHR HAS DOCUMENTED THE EXECUTION OF 129 UKRAINIAN
00:15:54PRISONERS OF WAR AT THE BEGINNING OF THEIR CAPTIVITY AND
00:15:56THE DEATH OF 48 UKRAINIAN
00:16:00PRISONERS OF WAR IN CUSTODY
00:16:02RESULTING FROM TORTURE, DENIAL
00:16:04OF MEDICAL CARE OR OTHER
00:16:06INHUMANE CONDITIONS OF DETENTION.
00:16:10MORE THAN 95% OF UKRAINIAN PRISONERS OF WAR INTERVIEWED BY
00:16:13OUR OFFICE REPORTED HAVING
00:16:15EXPERIENCED TORTURE OR ILL
00:16:18TREATMENT DURING CAPTIVITY,
00:16:20OFTEN REPEATEDLY OVER PROLONGED PERIODS.
00:16:23MORE THAN HALF ALSO REPORTED SEXUAL VIOLENCE.
00:16:28WE RECEIVE CONSISTENT ACCOUNT OF SEVERE BEATINGS WITH OBJECTS
00:16:31SUCH AS BATONS, HEAVY BELTS AND
00:16:34WOOD, ELECTRIC SHOCKS, DOG
00:16:36ATTACKS, MOCK EXECUTIONS AND OTHER FORMS OF TORTURE.
00:16:40FORMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE, DOCUMENTED INCLUDE RAPE, GANG
00:16:44RAPE, BEATING WHILE NUDE BEATINGS TO THE GENITALS,
00:16:48ELECTRIC SHOCKS TO THE GENITALS AND -- AND AND DEGRADING
00:16:52TREATMENT OF A SEXUALIZED NATURE.
00:16:55THOSE INTERVIEWED CONSISTING
00:16:57DESCRIBE CONDITIONS OF DETENTION
00:16:59ACROSS FACILITIES OPERATED BY THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AS
00:17:03INHUMANE AND MARKED BY SEVERE
00:17:06DEPRIVED OF BASIC NECESSITIES.
00:17:08RELEASED PRISONERS OF WAR REFERS
00:17:10TO CHRONIC FOOD DEPRAVATION,
00:17:12FOOD DELIVERY CONTAMINATED WITH
00:17:17INSECTS AND OTHER OBJECTS, INADEQUATE CLOSING, PROLONGED
00:17:21EXPOSURE TO COLD LACK OF BASIC HYGIENE, VERY LIMITED MEDICAL
00:17:26CARE THAT LED TO THE SPREAD OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, INCLUDING
00:17:29TUBERCULOSIS AND SKIN DISEASES
00:17:31CAUSING PAINFUL WOUNDS AND
00:17:33NEAR-TOTAL ISOLATION FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD.
00:17:36INTERVIEWEES INDICATE THAT SUCH
00:17:39CONDITIONS WERE COMPOUNDED BY HARSH DETENTION REGIMES
00:17:43SEEMINGLY REPLICATED ACROSS MULTIPLE FACILITIES.
00:17:47THESE INCLUDED PROLONGED, FORCED
00:17:49LANDING, FORCED FIST FIXED A PHYSICAL EXERTION, SLEEP
00:17:54DEPRIVATION, CONSTANT SURVEILLANCE, SEVERE RESTRICTIONS ON MOVEMENT AND
00:17:59COMMUNICATION WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD, AND SEVERE PHYSICAL
00:18:02PUNISHMENT FOR MINOR INFRACTION.
00:18:04CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT OF CONTINUOUS AND EXTREME PHYSICAL
00:18:08AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE OR
00:18:12THEATER. THUS NOT HAVING FORMATION ABOUT
00:18:14THE NUMBER OR CONDITION OF THIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS WHO SERVE IN
00:18:18THE UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES AND ARE CURRENTLY INTERNED BY THE
00:18:22RUSSIAN FEDERATION. WITH RESPECT TO RUSSIAN
00:18:26PRISONERS OF WAR AND THIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS HELD BY
00:18:29UKRAINE, INTERVIEWED BY OSCE, HRC SINCE FEBRUARY 2020 TO
00:18:34APPROXIMATELY HALF REPORTED TORTURE OR ILL TREATMENT,
00:18:37PRIMARILY DURING THE INITIAL STAGE OF CAPTIVITY AND
00:18:41INTERROGATION AND CAPTURE AT
00:18:43UNOFFICIAL PLACES OF DETENTION.
00:18:45OUR MONITORING INDICATES THAT
00:18:48ONCE THESE INDIVIDUALS ARRIVE IN
00:18:50OFFICIAL PLACES OF INTERNAL, THE
00:18:52CONDITIONS GENERALLY COMPLY WITH
00:18:54INTERNATIONAL HUMAN HUMANITARIAN
00:18:57LAW AND HAVE IMPROVED SINCE 2020
00:19:00TO THE SITUATION OF THIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS HELD BY
00:19:04UKRAINE REQUIRES A SPECIFIC CONSIDERATION.
00:19:07THESE MEN WHO WERE MEMBERS OF THE RUSSIAN ARMED FORCES, NOT
00:19:11MERCENARIES, COME FROM OVER 45 COUNTRIES.
00:19:13ON THE FACE, UNCERTAINTIES ABOUT THE FUTURE.
00:19:16SOME HAVE FEARS WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THEY ARE RETURNED TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION.
00:19:21WHILE OTHERS FEAR RETURNING TO THEIR COUNTRY OF 40 YEARS WHERE
00:19:24THEY MAY FACE CRIMINAL CHARGES
00:19:26FOR FIGHTING ON BEHALF OF ANOTHER COUNTRY.
00:19:30MANY TOLD US THEY HAVE NOT
00:19:32INTENDED TO BECOME SOLDIERS, BUT
00:19:34WERE MISLED BY THE SYSTEM ABOUT
00:19:36DECEPTIVE RECRUITMENT PRACTICES.
00:19:39EXCELLENCIES TURNING OUT TO UKRAINIAN CIVILIAN DETAINEES
00:19:43HELD BY THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AFTER HAVING.
00:19:47BEEN TAKEN INTO CUSTODY IN OCCUPIED TERRITORY OR TORTURE,
00:19:49CONDUCTS INTERVIEW USE WITH
00:19:52CIVILIAN DETAINEES ONLY AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN RELEASED AND
00:19:55REACH PLACES OF SAFETY SINCE THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION HAS NOT
00:19:58GRANTED OR INITIATED ACCESS TO
00:20:01PLACES OF DETENTION.
00:20:03IT IS ESTIMATED THAT MORE THAN
00:20:0616,000 CIVILIANS REMAIN DEPRIVED
00:20:08OF THEIR LIBERTY OR AT CHAR HAS
00:20:12FOUND THAT MANY WERE DETAINED ARBITRARILY AND ARE HELD
00:20:17INCOMMUNICADO UNDER LEGAL FRAMEWORKS THAT DO NOT COMPLY
00:20:19WITH INTERNATIONAL LAW.
00:20:21FORMER CIVILIAN DETAINEES HELD BY THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
00:20:26REPORTEDLY BEEN SUBJECTED TO THE SAME PATTERN OF ABUSE DOCUMENTED
00:20:28FOR UKRAINIAN PRISONERS OF WAR.
00:20:3185% OF CIVILIAN DETAINEES INTERVIEWED REPORTED TORTURE AND
00:20:35ILL TREATMENT, INCLUDING SEXUAL VIOLENCE, WHILE CONDITIONS OF
00:20:38THE TENSIONS WERE FREQUENTLY INHUMANE. MARKED BY FOOD DEPRIVATION.
00:20:44INADEQUATE MEDICAL SERVICES UNAVAILABLE. DEPLORABLE CONDITIONS OF
00:20:48DETENTION. WE ARE PARTICULARLY CONCERNED THAT WOMEN THAT THE NATION
00:20:52PRISONERS OF WAR REPORTED SIMILAR ABUSIVE CONDITIONS.
00:20:55AT LEAST TWO PREGNANT WOMEN SUFFERED A MISCARRIAGE, EACH
00:20:59FOLLOWING PHYSICAL VIOLENCE.
00:21:01IN ADDITION, THE CONDITIONS WERE
00:21:03COMPOUNDED BY THREATS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE DURING INTERROGATIONS,
00:21:07AS WELL AS GENDER SPECIFIC DEPRIVATIONS AND DEGRADING TREATMENT.
00:21:11THESE INCLUDED LACK OF -- HEALTH PROBLEMS IN DETENTION, IN
00:21:15PASSIVE SEARCHES OF BODY BODILY
00:21:17CAVITIES AND FORCED NUDITY UNDER
00:21:19THE GAZE OF MALE GUARDS AND PRISONERS.
00:21:23SOME WOMEN DESCRIBED BEING FORCED TO BE NAKED WHILE --.
00:21:28ASPARTIC LADY HUMILIATING.
00:21:30THESE GENDER SPECIFIC ABUSES INTENSIFIED.
00:21:33THE HUMAN WOMEN SENSE OF THE
00:21:35VIOLATION, LEAVING THEM WITH A
00:21:37PROFOUND SENSE OF VULNERABILITY.
00:21:42EXCELLENCIES, LOOKING FORWARD, ALLOW ME TO SHARE SOME
00:21:44REFLECTIONS ON THE CHALLENGES AHEAD AND THE STEPS NEEDED TO
00:21:48ADDRESS THEM. I WOULD OFFICE ESTABLISH A
00:21:53COMPREHENSIVE, FACTUAL RECORD OF THE TREATMENT OF PRISONERS OF
00:21:55WAR AND CIVILIAN DEATHS IN THESE AND CONDITIONS OF THE DANGERS IN
00:21:59BOTH THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AND UKRAINE.
00:22:02WE HAVE DOCUMENTED VIOLATIONS,
00:22:04CLARIFIED THE APPLICABLE LEGAL
00:22:06FRAMEWORKS AND PROVIDED DETAILED RECOMMENDATIONS TO END
00:22:10VIOLATIONS. STRENGTHEN PROTECTION AND INFORM FUTURE ACTION.
00:22:13THIS WORK WILL CONTINUE.
00:22:17THE CHALLENGE NOW IS NOT SIMPLY TO CONTINUE DOCUMENTED WHAT
00:22:21HAPPENS DURING DETENTION, BUT TO
00:22:23ENSURE THAT ALL THOSE DETAINED
00:22:25BOTH CIVILIANS AND PRISONERS OF WAR ARE RELEASED SAFELY AND
00:22:30LAWFULLY. MEMBER STATES SHOULD BEGIN PREPARING NOW FOR THE CHALLENGES
00:22:35THAT WILL ACCOMPANY ANY FUTURE POLITICAL PROCESSES.
00:22:39THIS INCLUDES PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE RELEASE
00:22:43REPATRIATION AND SAFE RETURN OF CIVILIANS AND LAWFULLY DETAINED
00:22:46BY THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION,
00:22:48TAKING INTO ACCOUNT HUMANITARIAN CONSIDERATIONS SUCH THE
00:22:52SITUATION OF PREGNANT WOMAN, THE WOUNDED AND SICK OLDER PERSONS
00:22:56AND THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN DETAINED FOR A LONG TIME.
00:22:58ARRANGEMENTS SHOULD BE MADE FOR
00:23:00THE RELEASE BY BOTH THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AND UKRAINE OF
00:23:04PRISONERS OF WAR, INCLUDING THE URGENT RELEASE OF THOSE WHO ARE
00:23:08WOUNDED, SERIOUSLY ILL, OR HAVING PROLONGED CAPTIVITY.
00:23:13FOLLOW BY AND ON FOR ALL ACTING.
00:23:16IT EXTENDS IT EXTENDS TWO
00:23:19SEPARATE CONSIDERED ATION OF THIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS HELD BY
00:23:23BOTH UKRAINE AND THE RUSSIAN
00:23:25FEDERATION, INCLUDING PROTECTION AGAINST AN INFORMANT WHERE
00:23:30RELEVANT AND POST-RELEASE PROTECTION, REHABILITATION AND
00:23:32FAMILY REUNIFICATION FOR ALL
00:23:35PRISONERS OF WAR. THESE ARE NOT ISSUES THAT CAN BE
00:23:39LEFT UNTIL CEASEFIRE OR WIDER
00:23:41POLITICAL SETTLEMENT IS REACHED.
00:23:43THEY REQUIRE CONSIDERATION NOW,
00:23:47INCLUDING BY MANY MEMBER STATES
00:23:49WHOSE NATIONALS RFA DID ALWAYS.
00:23:53IT DOES NOT PRESCRIBE THE POLITICAL ARRANGEMENTS THROUGH
00:23:57WHICH THESE ISSUES SHOULD BE RESOLVED. WE ARE READY TO SUPPORT THE
00:24:01INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO IDENTIFY PROCEDURAL SAFEGUARDS,
00:24:04TO ENSURE THAT ARRANGEMENTS ARE
00:24:08GROUNDED. INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS,
00:24:10HUMAN RIGHTS, HUMANITARIAN
00:24:24OFFER LEGAL AND TECHNICAL ADVICE AND CIVILIAN DETAINEES IS NOT
00:24:25TREATED AS PROCESS. THAT IS SO
00:24:34DESPERATELY NEEDED. WITH SO MANY
00:24:36DETENTION FOR SO LONG
00:24:48>> I THANK AOC FUENTES JULIO FOR
00:24:51HER FACTUAL BRIEFING, AND I WILL
00:24:52NOW GIVE THE FLOOR TO MISS
00:24:55LEONIE OMAROVA, A RELEASED
00:24:57CIVILIAN DETAINEE AND A CRIMEAN
00:25:02TATAR ACTIVIST.
00:25:09>> TATAR, ACTIVIST, HUMAN RIGHTS
00:25:10DEFENDER, AND FORMER POLITICAL
00:25:14PRISONER. IN SEPTEMBER 2024, I
00:25:17WAS RELEASED AND RETURNED TO UKRAINE AS A PART OF PRISONER
00:25:21EXCHANGE. THIS BECAME POSSIBLE
00:25:24THANKS TO THE UKRAINIAN
00:25:30ACTIVIST, GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES, INTERNATIONAL
00:25:34INSTITUTIONS, AND EVERYONE WHO REFUSED TO LET THE WORLD FORGET
00:25:37ABOUT ME. TODAY, I WANT TO TELL
00:25:41YOU HOW
00:25:52WE ARE THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF
00:25:54UKRAINE WITH OWN LANGUAGE,
00:25:56CULTURE AND HISTORY. AND CRIMEA
00:25:59IS OUR ONLY HOMELAND. AFTER
00:26:01BEING DEPORTED IN 1944, OUR
00:26:03PEOPLE SPENT DECADES FIGHTING
00:26:06FOR THE RIGHT TO RETURN CRIMEA.
00:26:12THE PERSECUTION BEGAN AGAINST.
00:26:14WITH AGAIN WITH ARREST,
00:26:16REPRESSION, AND POLITICALLY
00:26:20MOTIVATED PERSECUTIONS. TODAY, A NEW GENERATION OF CRIMEAN TATARS
00:26:24CONTINUE TO FACE WITH PERSECUTIONS. AND TODAY, I WANT
00:26:28TO SHARE WITH YOU MY STORY.
00:26:35AFTER THE END OF 2022 TO BE WITH
00:26:39MY SERIOUSLY ILL FATHER, WHO LIVED IN CRIMEA. HE WAS FACING A
00:26:43DIFFICULT SURGERY, AND WE DID
00:26:50NOT KNOW WHAT HE WHAT THE MY
00:26:54FAMILY DURING ONE OF THE MOST
00:26:56DIFFICULT MOMENTS OF OUR LIVES,
00:26:59BUT INSTEAD BEING REUNITED WITH
00:27:02MY FAMILY, I ENDED UP IN RUSSIAN
00:27:07CAPTIVITY. WHEN I CROSSED THE
00:27:09BORDER BETWEEN WAS DETAINED.
00:27:12BORDER OFFICER OFFICERS RELEASED
00:27:19THAT DID NOT HAVE RUSSIAN
00:27:22PASSPORT FOR MEN IN CIVILIAN
00:27:25CLOTHES. ARRIVED, FORCED ME INTO
00:27:30A CAR AND DROVE A. AND DROVE AN
00:27:34UNKNOWN LOCATION. I WAS
00:27:38INTERROGATED FOR THEN, BASED ON
00:27:41FABRICATED CHARGES, I WAS PLACED
00:27:48IN A DETENTION CENTER FOR
00:27:51FOREIGN NATIONS THAT WAS THE
00:27:53BEGINNING OF WHAT I CAN ONLY
00:27:55DESCRIBE AS A CAROUSEL OF
00:27:59REPRESSION. OVER THE SIX MONTHS,
00:28:01I WAS DETENTION FACILITIES, ONE
00:28:08CELL WAS REPLACED BY ANOTHER, AND MOST OF THE TIME, I WAS HELD
00:28:12ALONE. I WAS ILLEGALLY DETAINED
00:28:14THROUGH THE SERIES OF FABRICATED
00:28:17ADMINISTRATIVE CHARGES, AND I
00:28:22WAS MOVED BETWEEN DETENTION
00:28:23CENTER FOR FOREIGN NATIONS AND
00:28:27PRETRIAL DETENTION FACILITIES IN
00:28:30VLADIKAVKAZ AND BESLAN. I
00:28:32REMEMBER ONE OF MY FIRST
00:28:35INTERROGATIONS. IT LOOKS LIKE A
00:28:38PLACE. UH, TOOK A PLACE. UH,
00:28:43DIRECT. UM, DIRECTLY INSIDE MY
00:28:47CELL. UH MOMENT LIKE THAT, YOU
00:28:52FEEL COMPLETELY POWERLESS. UH, SO ACTUALLY, UH, THAT SOMETIMES
00:28:56YOU SIMPLY DO NOT HAVE THE WORDS
00:29:01TO DESCRIBE IT AT ONE POINT, WE,
00:29:05UH, EVEN MANAGED
00:29:14MY, UM OBTAIN MY RELEASE THROUGH
00:29:18THE COURT OF CASSATION. IT WAS
00:29:23THE THIRD MONTH OF MY CAPTIVITY BUT AS SOON AS THE PRISON GATES
00:29:27OPENED, A BAG WAS PUT OVER MY
00:29:30HEAD, AND I WAS TAKEN AWAY AGAIN
00:29:32TO A KNOWN LOCATION. THE NEXT
00:29:35DAY, I WAS BACK IN PRISON. THIS
00:29:39TIME IN A DIFFERENT ONE. BUT MY
00:29:43STORY IS, UH, NOT AN EXCEPTION.
00:29:47UH, IS WHAT I WANT TO EMPHASIZE
00:29:54HERE. WHAT HAPPENED TO ME IS A PART OF THE SYSTEM RUSSIA USED
00:29:58UNLAWFUL DETENTION, ISOLATION,
00:30:01FABRICATED ADMINISTRATIVE AND
00:30:02CRIMINAL CHARGES, TORTURE, AND
00:30:05SO-CALLED CAROUSEL HOLD
00:30:08UKRAINIAN CIVILIANS IN CAPTIVITY
00:30:12IN OCCUPIED TERRITORIES. PEOPLE
00:30:14ARE SIMPLY ABDUCTED. THEY ARE
00:30:17HELD INCOMMUNICADO, WITHOUT CONTACT WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD,
00:30:20WITHOUT ACCESS TO LAWYERS, AND WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF
00:30:24TELLING THEIR FAMILIES WHERE
00:30:27THEY ARE. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED
00:30:29WITH HAGERTY GUO IN THE SPRING
00:30:34OF 2025. SHE WAS TRAVELING HOME
00:30:39BY BUS AND NEVER ARRIVED
00:30:42STOPPED. UH, ANSWERING PHONE
00:30:44CALLS AND, UH, EFFECTIVELY
00:30:47DISAPPEARED ONLY SEVERAL MONTHS
00:30:50LATER. WAS, UH, SHE IDENTIFIED
00:30:52IN THE SIMFEROPOL,
00:31:01BY A RUSSIAN FSB OFFICERS. AND
00:31:04WHILE THE SYSTEM, UH, AFFECT
00:31:07BOTH MEN AND WOMEN PERSECUTION
00:31:11OF WOMEN IS PARTICULARLY
00:31:13ALARMING IN CRIMEA ALONE 84
00:31:21WOMEN HAVE FACED CRIMINAL
00:31:23PROSECUTION, AND 60 ARE CURRENTLY HELD IN DETENTION
00:31:26FACILITIES OR PRISONS. I WANT TO
00:31:33SHARE ONE MORE STORY ABOUT, UH,
00:31:36DIANA FATHER. SHE WAS DENIED AT
00:31:43THE BORDER AND SUBJECTED TO
00:31:46SYSTEM OF SHE WAS TORTURED.
00:31:48SAUER. UH, SO SEVERELY THAT HER
00:31:53POST SURGERY WOUNDS BEGAN WHAT I
00:31:59WANT TO DO, UH, I WANT TO TELL
00:32:01YOU THAT IN OCCUPIED TERRITORY,
00:32:05IT DOESN'T MATTER. UH, HOW OLD
00:32:06ARE YOU? OR WHATEVER YOU AND
00:32:11WOMEN OR, UH, WHERE YOU WORK IN
00:32:15THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES OF
00:32:17UKRAINE, INCLUDING, UH, MY HOME,
00:32:20CRIMEA. EVERYONE KNOWS THAT
00:32:23NEXT. I WANT TO, UH, CALL UH
00:32:39MORE PEOPLE, WE CAN SEE IT AND
00:32:41TELL THE NAMES TILL THE MORNING.
00:32:47OF THEM NOW IN RUSSIAN PRISON.
00:32:49AND NEITHER I OR THESE PEOPLE
00:32:51DON'T WE NEED JUSTICE. AND
00:32:57JUSTICE MEANS NOT ONLY REMEMBERING THE NAMES OF THE VICTIMS, BUT ALSO NAMING THOSE
00:33:01RESPONSIBLE WHO THEIR
00:33:03PERSECUTION AND CRIMES. EVERY
00:33:06PERSON WHO ORDERED, CARRIED OUT,
00:33:10OR FACILITATED THEIR CRIMES MUST
00:33:11BE IDENTIFIED AND HELD EVERY
00:33:17PREPARATION MUST BE FACE JUSTICE. RUSSIA MUST BE
00:33:19RECOGNIZED AS A TERRORIST STATE
00:33:23AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL. ALL UKRAINIAN CIVILIANS WHO ARE
00:33:27BEING UNLAWFULLY DETAINED MUST
00:33:27BE YOUR ATTENTION.
00:33:36>> I THANK YOU FOR SHARING HER STORY, AND I WILL NOW GIVE THE
00:33:39FLOOR TO, UM
00:33:47>> MR. ENGLISH AND HONORABLE GUESTS. IT'S A BIG HONOR FOR ME
00:33:50TO BE HERE TODAY. MY NAME IS JUAN ALBERTO I'M A UKRAINIAN OF
00:33:53CUBAN DESCENT AND AN ACTIVE MILITARY SERVICEMEN OF THE ARMED
00:33:57FORCES OF UKRAINE. I HAVE SPENT
00:34:021183 DAYS IN RUSSIAN CAPTIVITY
00:34:04AS A PRISONER OF WAR. I WAS BORN
00:34:07IN UKRAINIAN CITY OF MARIUPOL TO A UKRAINIAN MOTHER AND CUBAN
00:34:11FATHER. AS A RESULT, I INHERITED A VERY UNUSUAL FOR SLAVIC
00:34:15COUNTRIES. LATINO NAME. FOR A FEW YEARS, I ATTENDED COLLEGE IN
00:34:18THE UNITED STATES, BUT IN THE FOURTH YEAR OF THE RUSSIAN WAR
00:34:22ON UKRAINE, BACK IN 2018, I RETURNED TO UKRAINE TO DEFEND MY
00:34:26COUNTRY FROM THE OCCUPATION. WITH THE BEGINNING OF THE FULL
00:34:29SCALE INVASION, I WAS ALREADY ON THE FRONT LINE ON THE OUTSKIRTS
00:34:32OF MARIUPOL. FOR THREE MONTHS, I
00:34:34WITNESSED HOW RUSSIAN FORCES WERE WIPING DOWN RESIDENTIAL
00:34:38BLOCKS FROM MY HOMETOWN, USING
00:34:42KILLING HUNDREDS OF MEN, WOMEN,
00:34:44CHILDREN, ELDERLY EVENTUALLY,
00:34:47TOGETHER WITH OTHER UKRAINIAN SERVICEMEN, I DEFENDED THE
00:34:50FAMOUS AZOVSTAL STEEL PLANT. OUR
00:34:53SURRENDER WAS THE RESULT OF
00:34:55INTERNATIONAL NEGOTIATIONS. WE
00:34:58WERE GIVEN ASSURANCES THAT THE DEFENDERS OF AZOVSTAL WOULD BE
00:35:00TREATED IN ACCORDANCE WITH
00:35:02INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW, AND PRIORITIZED IN PRISONER
00:35:06EXCHANGES WHAT FOLLOWS WAS VERY
00:35:10DIFFERENT. MORE THAN 2400 PEOPLE WERE PLACED IN OVERCROWDED
00:35:14BARRACKS WITHOUT ADEQUATE CONDITIONS. THERE WAS ALMOST NO
00:35:16WATER AND EXTREMELY LITTLE FOOD.
00:35:19IT CAME TO A POINT WHEN ALMOST ALL POWS WERE ILL WITH
00:35:23DYSENTERY. MANY WERE STARVING, HAVING AN EXTREME WEIGHT LOSS,
00:35:27COLLAPSING MULTIPLE TIMES DURING
00:35:28A DAY WHEN I WAS LATER
00:35:32TRANSFERRED TO OCCUPIED LUHANSK REGION, ANOTHER ASPECT OF
00:35:35RUSSIAN CAPTIVITY BECAME CLEAR
00:35:37TO ME PREJUDICE BASED ON
00:35:39NATIONALITY AND ETHNICITY. MY SPANISH NAME CAUSED MANY RUSSIAN
00:35:43AUTHORITIES TO SUSPECT ME OF
00:35:45BEING A MERCENARY. THEY COULD NOT COMPREHEND THAT UKRAINIANS
00:35:49COULD BE OF INTER-ETHNIC HERITAGE WITHOUT LOSING
00:35:53UKRAINIAN IDENTITY. THAT MEANT THAT THEIR NARRATIVE OF UKRAINE
00:35:55AS A NAZI STATE IS COLLAPSING IN
00:35:59FRONT OF THEM. RUSSIAN PRISON AND INVESTIGATIVE OFFICIALS WERE
00:36:03PURSUING THE GOAL OF MAKING ME CONFESS TO BEING A FOREIGN
00:36:07MERCENARY. I WOULD BE MORE
00:36:09HUMILIATED THAN THE OTHERS. ESCORTED TO PRIVATE INTERROGATIONS AND BEATEN UP
00:36:13WITH BATONS. I WAS WELL KNOWN IN MY BRIGADE FOR MY SKILLS AS A
00:36:17SPECIALIST, SO I WAS ALREADY
00:36:18THEIR TARGET EVEN BEFORE GETTING INTO CAPTIVITY. AFTER A YEAR AND
00:36:22SIX MONTHS, THEY TRANSFERRED ME TO THE FAMOUS DETENTION CENTER,
00:36:25NUMBER TWO IN THE CITY OF TAGANROG, WHERE I IMMEDIATELY
00:36:29FACED BRUTAL TREATMENT BECAUSE OF MY NAME AND ETHNICITY.
00:36:33NON-SLAVIC NAME WAS A BIG RED FLAG FOR THE CAPTORS, AND MEANT
00:36:36THAT THEY GOT TO SHOW PARTICULAR
00:36:39HATRED. AFTER MY ARRIVAL, I WAS
00:36:40TOLD TO STRIP DOWN NAKED AND WAS
00:36:43BEING BEATEN UP EVERY SINGLE SECOND, IN EVERY PLACE ON MY
00:36:46BODY, ON THE SAME DAY, I WAS ESCORTED TO A SEPARATE
00:36:49INTERROGATION COURTYARD IN THE
00:36:50JAIL, TORTURED, BEATEN WITH
00:36:53FISTS AND BATONS. THEY ACCUSED ME OF BEING A MERCENARY AND AN
00:36:56AMERICAN SPY. BECAUSE OF MY
00:36:58COLLEGE YEARS SPENT IN THE USA
00:37:03ADMIT THIS, I WAS ELECTROCUTED.
00:37:06I WAS BEING TREATED HARSHER THAN
00:37:10OTHER POWS. WHEN MY CELLMATES AND I WERE ESCORTED TO A SHOWER,
00:37:13I WAS THE ONLY ONE WITH
00:37:15HANDCUFFS ON MY WRISTS. DURING DAILY SECURITY CHECKS. I WAS
00:37:19BEING BEATEN UP MORE, NOT ONLY
00:37:20FOR BEING A UKRAINIAN DRONE
00:37:24SPECIALIST OR BEING AN AZOVSTAL DEFENDER, BUT MAINLY BECAUSE OF
00:37:27MY LATINO NAME AND MY CUBAN BACKGROUND. RUSSIANS WERE
00:37:31OUTRAGED THAT SOMEONE WITH A CONNECTION TO CUBA, WHOM THEY
00:37:33PERCEIVE AS AN ALLY, WOULD FIGHT
00:37:35AGAINST THEIR OCCUPATIONAL ARMY.
00:37:39HERE'S A PICTURE FROM A BLACKMAIL VIDEO THAT WAS SENT TO
00:37:42MY FATHER, MY CUBAN FATHER FROM
00:37:45THE FSB. APPROXIMATELY 52KG.
00:37:52HERE. I HAVE BEEN LIVING LIKE THIS FOR NINE MONTHS THIS HAS
00:37:56BEEN ALSO HAPPENING FOR ALMOST A YEAR. DURING MY STAY AT THE NEXT LOCATION IN THE DETENTION
00:37:59CENTER. NUMBER THREE IN THE CITY OF KYZYL. FOR THREE YEARS AND
00:38:02THREE MONTHS IN RUSSIAN
00:38:04CAPTIVITY. I NEVER HAD A CHANCE TO SPEAK TO MY FAMILY. IT IS
00:38:08FAIR TO POINT OUT THAT SUCH PREJUDICE EXISTED NOT ONLY
00:38:11TOWARDS ME, BUT TO ANY PEOPLE WHO WERE STANDING OUT FROM THE
00:38:14CROWD IN THE CITY OF TAGANROG, RUSSIANS HAVE KILLED, DURING
00:38:18INTERROGATION, A CITIZEN OF POLAND. ALSO, THEY WERE HOLDING
00:38:21IN SOLITARY CELLS AND TORTURED
00:38:23CITIZENS OF GEORGIA AND BELARUS.
00:38:26OTHER COUNTRIES AS WELL. SOME RUSSIAN CITIZENS WHO WERE HELD
00:38:30IN SUSPICION OF SYMPATHIES FOR UKRAINE, WERE ALSO TREATED THE
00:38:33SAME AS US. ALMOST ALL
00:38:37UKRAINIANS WHO WERE HELD IN DETENTION CENTER NUMBER TWO IN
00:38:40TAGANROG WERE EXPOSED TO TORTURE
00:38:42THROUGH FREEZING, BEATINGS AND ELECTROCUTION. VERBAL, PHYSICAL
00:38:45AND SEXUAL ABUSE. RUSSIANS WERE
00:38:48ATTACKING POWS, LOCKING THEM IN HANDCUFFS AND CARRYING OUT
00:38:51SEXUAL VIOLENCE WITH FOREIGN OBJECTS. THE GOAL WAS TO BREAK
00:38:53THEIR MENTAL STATE AND FORCED TO
00:38:57CONFESS TO FALSIFIED CRIMES. SIMILAR PREJUDICE AND HATRED WERE EXPRESSED TOWARDS CITIZENS
00:39:01OF BELARUS AND GEORGIA, WHO WERE HELD IN DETENTION CENTER NUMBER
00:39:03THREE IN THE CITY OF GAZELLE.
00:39:06AND THIS IS HOW I LOOK THE DAY I
00:39:08RETURNED BACK HOME, I WAS 55KG
00:39:11IN THIS PICTURE. PROTECTED IN
00:39:17RUSSIAN CAPTIVITY. PEOPLE CAN BE
00:39:19EASILY EXECUTED, KILLED DURING INTERROGATIONS, STARVED, BEATEN
00:39:23UP TO DEATH, TRANSFERRED TO AN
00:39:26UNKNOWN LOCATION, SENTENCED FOR
00:39:28A FAKE CRIME. RUSSIAN CAPTIVITY KILLS EVERYONE AT EVERY STEP, AT
00:39:32ANY LEVEL. THERE IS NO IMMUNITY,
00:39:35NO PASSPORT THAT CAN PROTECT FROM BEING TORTURED AND KILLED.
00:39:38I ADDRESSED THIS ISSUE TO YOU. HONORABLE SPEAKERS AND REPRESENTATIVES, BECAUSE IT IS
00:39:42IN YOUR POWER TO PROTECT AND
00:39:45COUNTER THESE CRIMES, TO
00:39:48MAINTAIN THE INTERNATIONAL THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AND FOR
00:39:52YOUR ATTENTION. AND I WISH YOU EVERY SUCCESS IN THIS FAIR
00:39:53FIGHT. FIGHT FOR JUSTICE. THANK
00:39:58YOU. >> THANK MR. LEYVA GARCIA FOR
00:40:02HIS TESTIMONY, AND I WILL NOW GIVE THE FLOOR TO MR. OLEG
00:40:05GUSHCHIN EXPERT OF THE COORDINATION HEADQUARTERS, FOR
00:40:09THE TREATMENT OF THE PRISONERS
00:40:10OF WAR OF UKRAINE.
00:40:15>> THANK YOU >> HONORABLE GUESTS. MY NAME IS
00:40:17HAWLEY GUSHCHIN THE UKRAINIAN
00:40:21GOVERNMENT, GOVERNMENTAL INSTITUTION, THE COORDINATION
00:40:24HEADQUARTERS POWS, WHICH IS
00:40:26PRINCIPAL STATE BODY ALONG THIS
00:40:35PATH THAT ULTIMATELY BROUGHT US
00:40:37HERE, WE HAVE HEARD THAT THE ISSUE OF UKRAINIAN AND CIVILIANS
00:40:41IS NO LONGER ACTUAL, THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHER PROBLEMS IN THE
00:40:45WORLD RIGHT NOW, AND THAT NO ONE
00:40:48WILL WANT TO LISTEN TO US.
00:40:51THAT'S WHY, ON BEHALF OF ALL
00:40:54UKRAINIANS, LET ME EXPRESS THE
00:40:57WORDS OF GRATITUDE FOR THE ORGANIZERS AND >> SPONSOR OF THIS MEETING, AND
00:41:01ALSO THE UN STAFF, FOR YOUR
00:41:04EFFORTS THAT MADE POSSIBLE THIS EVENT. THAT'S WHY I'M ALSO
00:41:07THANK FOR ALL STATES
00:41:10REPRESENTATIVES THIS HALL TODAY.
00:41:12YOUR INVOLVEMENT AND ATTENTION
00:41:16CLEARLY DEMONSTRATE THAT THE ISSUE OF SAFEGUARDING
00:41:19FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS IS NOT
00:41:21JUST EMPTY RHETORIC. IT IS AN
00:41:25EFFORT TO PUT AN END ATROCITIES.
00:41:27IT IS AN EFFORT TO ENSURE
00:41:31ACCOUNTABILITY AND PREVENTING THIS FROM HAPPENING IN THE
00:41:33FUTURE. THIS IS PRECISELY THAT,
00:41:36NOT DIVIDE US, BUT UNITES,
00:41:39WRITES AFTER THE RUSSIAN FULL
00:41:41SCALE INVASION OF UKRAINE
00:41:44ESTABLISHED A COMPREHENSIVE FRAMEWORK OF ACCORDING TO THE
00:41:47THIRD GENEVA CONVENTION. CAMPS
00:41:54AND NATIONAL INFORMATION BUREAU. WE TRAINED DESIGNATED PERSONNEL
00:41:58AND PROVIDED WE GRANTED A FULL
00:42:03ACCESS OF ALL HUMAN RIGHTS MONITORING MECHANISMS TO THE
00:42:07PLACES OF DETENTION AND DETAINED
00:42:09PERSONS FROM RUSSIAN SIDE WE
00:42:17EXPECT THAT THE FRONT COULD BE.
00:42:19EXPECT THIS FROM THE STATE. THEY
00:42:22TORTURE AND KILLS EVEN ITS OWN
00:42:24CITIZENS. FRANKLY, NOT. WE HAD
00:42:28NO ILLUSION ABOUT RUSSIA. BUT LIKE ANY CIVILIZED NATION, WE
00:42:30STILL COULDN'T IMAGINE RUSSIAN
00:42:33SCALE OF VIOLENCE. TO THOSE WHO
00:42:38APPEARED IN THE CAPTIVITY, UKRAINIAN PRISONERS HAVE BEEN
00:42:40KILLED AND TORTURED, USED AS
00:42:42HUMAN SHIELDS AND DEMINING TOOLS
00:42:45IN A BATTLEFIELD. THOUSANDS OF
00:42:48CIVILIANS INCOMMUNICADO. WE
00:42:51COUNTED MORE THAN 300 PLACES OF
00:42:54DETENTION, BOTH IN RUSSIA AND
00:42:57UKRAINE, OCCUPIED TERRITORIES,
00:42:59BOTH TEMPORARY AND BUT NO, ANY
00:43:02P.O.W. CAMP WAS ESTABLISHED
00:43:04WITHIN RUSSIA ALL THESE PLACES
00:43:08DO NOT PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE
00:43:10MONITORING MECHANISMS, INCLUDING
00:43:14ICRC. SO, TO SAVE THEIR LIFE, TO
00:43:17SAVE UKRAINIANS LIVES, WE HAVE
00:43:19ALREADY RETURNED BACK MORE THAN
00:43:229000 UKRAINIANS WITHIN PRISONERS EXCHANGE PROCESS, AND WE THINK
00:43:25WE. THANK TO ALL STATES AND
00:43:29ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED AND HELP
00:43:31TO BRING UKRAINIANS HOME.
00:43:34HOWEVER, THOUSANDS STILL REMAINS IN RUSSIAN CAPTIVITY. THAT'S
00:43:38WHY OUR MAIN GOAL IS TO BRING
00:43:41UKRAINIANS BACK AS THEM, TO
00:43:44BREAK RUSSIAN BLACK HOLE OF
00:43:48UNCERTAINTY. THAT'S NECESSARY
00:43:51EFFORTS TO BRING ALL UKRAINIANS BACK, CIVILIANS AND PRISONERS OF
00:43:55WAR. AND AS UKRAINE PROPOSED
00:43:57MANY TIMES TO ENGAGE ALL TO ALL
00:44:00EXCHANGE PROCESS, OTHERWISE, AS
00:44:05HASSAN EMPHASIZED, MOST UKRAINIANS WILL BE FACE DEATH IN
00:44:08CAPTIVITY. THAT'S WHY, FOLLOWING
00:44:11TODAY'S TESTIMONIES AND
00:44:13SPEECHES, I WANT TO TELL YOU MY PERSONAL ADAPTATION ON GERMAN
00:44:17PASTOR MARTIN NIEMÖLLER. WORDS.
00:44:20FIRSTLY, THEY CAME FOR THE
00:44:22CHECHENS. I REMAIN SILENT. I
00:44:27WASN'T CHECHEN. THEY CAME. THEY
00:44:28CAME FOR GEORGIANS. I REMAINED
00:44:31SILENT, I WASN'T GEORGIAN. THEN
00:44:34THEY CAME FOR UKRAINIANS. I
00:44:38REMAIN SILENT. I WAS IN
00:44:41UKRAINIAN, BUT ONE DAY THEY WILL
00:44:42COME TO YOU. BUT BY THEN, THERE
00:44:46WON'T BE ANYONE LEFT WHO CAN
00:44:49HELP YOU. IT IS UP TO YOU HOW
00:44:52YOU COME OUT OF THIS EVENT
00:44:54TODAY. IT IS UP TO YOU WHETHER YOU WILL CONTINUE TO SHAKE HANDS
00:44:58WITH THE DEVIL. USUAL, OR DEMAND
00:45:02THAT PEOPLE SUFFERING BE STOPPED
00:45:05AND THEY WILL BE BROUGHT HOME.
00:45:12BREEDS EVIL. REMEMBER THAT
00:45:15SILENCE EMBODIES EVIL. TO CONTINUE KILLING AND TORTURING.
00:45:19AND REMEMBER THAT TOGETHER,
00:45:21UNITED WE CAN STOP THIS AND
00:45:25PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN.
00:45:29I THANK YOU. >> MR. GUSHCHIN FOR HIS REMARKS, AND I WILL NOW GIVE THE FLOOR TO
00:45:33OUR LAST BRIEFER, MISS SHEEHY OF
00:45:39THE BBC. I INVESTIGATIONS FILM.
00:45:42PUTIN'S FOREIGN FIGHTERS INTO
00:45:47THE VOID.
00:45:51>> THANK YOU. UM. DISTINGUISHED AND HONORABLE DELEGATES. IT'S AN
00:45:54HONOR TO BE HERE TODAY TO TALK
00:45:57ABOUT OUR FINDINGS FROM OUR BBC
00:45:59INVESTIGATION. PUTIN'S FOREIGN
00:46:01FIGHTERS. UM, I WANT TO START BY
00:46:04TALKING ABOUT HOW WE CAME ACROSS
00:46:06THE STORY. SO IN MAY 2024, MY
00:46:09TEAM AND I BEGAN RECEIVING VOICE NOTES FROM A GROUP OF YOUNG
00:46:12SYRIAN MEN ON THE FRONT LINES IN UKRAINE. THEY SAID THEY HAD BEEN
00:46:16OFFERED BACKLINE, NON-COMBAT
00:46:18WORK IN THE RUSSIAN ARMY, BUT INSTEAD FOUND THEMSELVES ON THE
00:46:21FRONTLINE OF A WAR. THEY KNEW
00:46:24NOTHING ABOUT. THIS WAS THE START OF OUR INVESTIGATION. OUR
00:46:27YEAR LONG INVESTIGATION INTO HOW RUSSIA RECRUITS FOREIGN MEN INTO
00:46:31ITS RANKS, TRACING THE RECRUITMENT PIPELINES FROM THE
00:46:34MIDDLE EAST, ASIA, CENTRAL AFRICA AND BEYOND TO THE FRONT
00:46:38LINE. WE IDENTIFIED RECRUITERS
00:46:41FROM DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, BUT OUR INVESTIGATION CENTERED ON
00:46:44ONE KEY PERSON IN RUSSIA, POLINA
00:46:47ALEXANDROVNA HASSAN. THE WOMAN
00:46:49RESPONSIBLE FOR RECRUITING THESE SYRIAN MEN. WE WERE SPEAKING TO.
00:46:52SO, POLINA, AS A BUSINESSWOMAN AND FORMER TEACHER FROM RUSSIA,
00:46:56AND BEFORE THE WAR, SHE WAS
00:47:00RUNNING A KIND OF ACCOUNTS,
00:47:03HELPING FOREIGN STUDENTS, OFTEN
00:47:05ARAB YOUNG MEN JOIN RUSSIAN UNIVERSITIES, SO SHE WOULD HELP
00:47:09THEM WITH THEIR VISAS, THEIR TRANSPORT, ET CETERA.. AND THIS
00:47:12IS A PLATFORM SHE LATER REPURPOSED FOR RECRUITMENT,
00:47:16WHERE SHE STARTED POSTING ADVERTS TO JOIN THE RUSSIAN
00:47:19TEAM. AND THIS IS EXACTLY HOW
00:47:23THE SYRIAN GROUP FOUND POLINA THROUGH THESE PLATFORMS. SO WHAT
00:47:26THEY WERE OFFERED, AS WE ARE TOLD, IS A ONE YEAR CONTRACT
00:47:28WITH THE RUSSIAN ARMY. RUSSIAN
00:47:33CITIZENSHIP. $2,500 A MONTH AND
00:47:34A SIGNING BONUS OF $5,000. AND
00:47:38POLINA TOLD THEM THAT IF THEY PAID HER $3,000 CUT, THEY WOULD
00:47:41NOT BE FIGHTING ON THE FRONT LINES AND DOING NON-COMBAT
00:47:45SUPPORT ROLES. HOWEVER, OVER THE COURSE OF OUR YEAR LONG
00:47:49INVESTIGATION, WE FOUND THAT WHAT HAPPENED WAS, IN FACT,
00:47:52DIFFERENT. RECRUITS RECEIVED AS LITTLE AS TEN DAYS OF TRAINING
00:47:55BEFORE BEING DEPLOYED TO THE
00:47:57FRONT LINES. MILITARY CONTRACTS WERE ISSUED IN RUSSIAN, A
00:48:01LANGUAGE MOST OF THE RECRUITS DIDN'T UNDERSTAND OR SPEAK, AND
00:48:03MOST OF THEM WEREN'T ABLE TO LEAVE AFTER A YEAR DUE TO A
00:48:07DECREE THAT MEANT THEIR CONTRACTS WERE AUTOMATICALLY
00:48:11RENEWED, SO THEY WERE NOT KEPT
00:48:13TO THEIR PROMISES. AGAIN. SO
00:48:15AFTER THESE FINDINGS, WE STARTED INVESTIGATING THE SCALE OF
00:48:18OPERATIONS. WE FOUND THAT HER
00:48:21TELEGRAM CHANNEL GREW FROM 4000
00:48:23FOLLOWERS TO 21,000 FOLLOWERS,
00:48:26AND WE IDENTIFIED NEARLY 5500
00:48:29CASES WHERE MEN WERE ISSUED
00:48:32INVITATIONS TO COME TO RUSSIA AND JOIN THE RUSSIAN ARMY,
00:48:34MAINLY FROM SYRIA, EGYPT, YEMEN,
00:48:37MOROCCO, BUT ALSO ACROSS ASIA
00:48:40AND CENTRAL AFRICA. AND ONLY
00:48:43TODAY, POLINA POSTED A FURTHER 35 NAMES WHO SIGNED UP FOR
00:48:46RECRUITMENT. SO THIS GOES TO SHOW IT IS STILL ONGOING. WE
00:48:50ALSO IDENTIFIED 12 FAMILIES WHO TOLD US THEIR SONS HAD DIED
00:48:53AFTER POLINA HAD RECRUITED THEM
00:48:55TO JOIN THE RUSSIAN ARMY. AND ANOTHER THING WE FOUND BY
00:48:59SPEAKING TO FAMILIES WAS THAT POLINA TARGETED VERY VULNERABLE
00:49:02STUDENT COMMUNITIES WHO WERE
00:49:05DESPERATE FOR MONEY. THEY TOLD US THEIR SONS WERE STRUGGLING TO
00:49:08PAY THEIR UNIVERSITY FEES. THEY WERE REALLY STRUGGLING
00:49:11FINANCIALLY, AND POLINA OFFERED THEM A HELPLINE. BUT I THINK
00:49:15WHAT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO MENTION THAT POLINA IS ONE IN A
00:49:17MUCH LARGER TRANSNATIONAL RECRUITMENT NETWORK. AND WE
00:49:21FOUND THAT THERE ARE VERY DIFFERENT LAYERS OF RECRUITMENT.
00:49:24SO ONE IS WHAT WE JUST TALKED ABOUT, WHICH IS THE ONLINE
00:49:27SCOUTING ON TELEGRAM CHANNELS
00:49:29AND SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS. SO WE FOUND TWO OTHER TELEGRAM
00:49:33ACCOUNTS IN ARABIC MAKING
00:49:35SIMILAR OFFERS TO POLINA AND OUR
00:49:39BBC INDIA TEAM ALSO TRACED A VLOGGER WHO WAS MAKING SIMILAR
00:49:42PROMISES. AND. AND THEN THERE'S ALSO LOCAL, SMALL SCALE
00:49:46RECRUITERS. SO WE IDENTIFIED A
00:49:48LOCAL SYRIAN BROKER WHO WAS
00:49:51TAPPING INTO MORE LOCAL SYRIAN
00:49:53NETWORKS THROUGH WHATSAPP AND WORKING WITH MIDDLEMEN IN RUSSIA
00:49:57BY SENDING THEM THERE, AND THEN ALSO LOCAL, BUT LARGER SCALE
00:50:01COMPANIES. SO WE FOUND A COMPANY IN OMAN WHO WERE OFFERING
00:50:04HOSPITALITY AND SECURITY JOBS TO MEN, BUT IN FACT, SENDING THEM
00:50:08TO THE RUSSIAN ARMY. AND ACCORDING TO LOCAL LAWYERS, OVER
00:50:12400 MEN FROM YEMEN WERE SENT TO RUSSIA THIS WAY. AND THEY
00:50:15CONFIRMED TO US THAT AT LEAST 24
00:50:16OF THEM HAD DIED. AND IN OUR
00:50:20JOURNEY OF TRACING THESE MEN, WE
00:50:22ALSO FOUND THAT TWO OF THEM HAD, IN FACT, BEEN REPORTED AS DEAD
00:50:26TO THEIR FAMILIES, BUT ENDED UP
00:50:27IN A PRISONER OF WAR FACILITY IN
00:50:31UKRAINE. SO WHEN WE ALSO VISITED THIS PRISONER CAMP, PRISONER OF WAR FACILITY, WE SAW MEN FROM
00:50:35ALL OVER THE WORLD SENEGAL, SRI
00:50:36LANKA, EGYPT, AND UNTIL THIS
00:50:41DAY, WE'RE STILL RECEIVING MESSAGES FROM FAMILIES ALL OVER
00:50:44THE WORLD WHO ARE ASKING US TO HELP FIND THEIR SONS. AND THIS
00:50:48IS BECAUSE ONCE THEY LOSE TOUCH WITH FAMILIES WHILE THEY'RE IN
00:50:52RUSSIA, THERE IS NO WAY OF FINDING OUT WHAT HAPPENED TO
00:50:55THEM. THE RECRUITER IS NO LONGER IN THE PICTURE, AND THEY ARE
00:50:59EITHER DEAD OR PRISONERS OF WAR. AND SOME OF THOSE PRISONERS OF
00:51:03WAR WHO WE SPOKE TO WERE UNABLE TO REACH THEIR FAMILIES WHEN WE
00:51:06MET THEM, AND NONE OF THEM WERE INCLUDED IN THE PRISONER OF WAR
00:51:10EXCHANGES. SO ALL, TO SAY, THE SCALE OF THIS TRANSNATIONAL
00:51:14NETWORK OF RECRUITMENT REMAINS
00:51:16LARGE. AND IT IS AN ESTIMATED
00:51:2027,000 FOREIGN FIGHTERS THAT WE HAVE SEEN THAT HAS BEEN
00:51:22RECRUITED SINCE 2022. SO OUR
00:51:26FINDINGS POINT TO THREE AREAS FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION AND
00:51:29POTENTIAL GAPS. FIRSTLY, INFORMATION SHARING BETWEEN
00:51:33AFFECTED COUNTRIES ON KNOWN RECRUITERS AND NETWORKS TO
00:51:37UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEX, LAYERED
00:51:38SYSTEMS AND FORMING NATIONAL AND
00:51:42INTERNATIONAL INTERVENTIONS. SECONDLY, A SUSTAINED SCRUTINY OF PLATFORMS HOSTING THIS RECRUITMENT. SO WE KNOW
00:51:46TELEGRAM, WHATSAPP, FACEBOOK AND YOUTUBE HAVE ALL BEEN PLATFORMS
00:51:50USED FOR THIS. SO LOOKING AT HOW IT CAN BE MONITORED FURTHER. AND
00:51:54THIRDLY, A DISCUSSION OF HOW TO
00:51:57TREAT FOREIGN FIGHTERS IN PRISONER OF WAR FACILITIES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR
00:52:00TIME. AND TO ALL OF THE BRIEFERS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
00:52:04>> I THANK MISS KARIN FOR HER BRIEFING. AND I GIVE THE FLOOR
00:52:08TO THE REPRESENTATIVE OF FRANCE.
00:52:18>> CO-CHAIR, I THANK LATVIA AND THE UNITED KINGDOM FOR CONVENING
00:52:20THIS IMPORTANT MEETING WITH THE
00:52:23COSPONSORSHIP OF UKRAINE. I ALSO
00:52:26WISH TO THANK MISS GARCIA, BOTH
00:52:30FOR THEIR TESTIMONY. I ALSO
00:52:32THANK OTHER BRIEFERS FOR THEIR
00:52:34ACCOUNTS. AS WE ARE WELL AWARE,
00:52:38SINCE UNLEASHING ITS WAR OF
00:52:40AGGRESSION AGAINST UKRAINE, RUSSIA HAS COMMITTED COUNTLESS
00:52:43VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW AGAINST
00:52:46PRISONERS OF WAR AND UKRAINIAN CIVILIANS. INDEED, THESE
00:52:50VIOLATIONS HAVE BEEN RIGOROUSLY DOCUMENTED BY THE UNITED NATIONS
00:52:53HUMAN RIGHTS MONITORING
00:52:55MECHANISM IN UKRAINE. THESE
00:52:58VIOLATIONS INCLUDE TORTURE AND
00:53:01SEXUAL VIOLENCE. FRANCE URGES
00:53:03ONCE AGAIN RUSSIA TO UPHOLD ITS OBLIGATIONS PURSUANT TO
00:53:07INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW.
00:53:09FRANCE ALSO CALLS UPON RUSSIA TO
00:53:13PROVIDE THE RC THE ICRC, WITH
00:53:15COMPREHENSIVE, IMMEDIATE AND
00:53:17UNFETTERED ACCESS TO CIVILIANS
00:53:20DEPRIVED OF LIBERTY. LIBERTY, AND PRISONERS OF WAR WHEREVER
00:53:24THEY MAY BE LOCATED, INCLUDING IN UKRAINIAN TERRITORY ILLEGALLY
00:53:28OCCUPIED BY THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AND ON THE TERRITORY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
00:53:31ITSELF. FRANCE CALLS FOR THIS
00:53:33ACCESS TO BE PROVIDED IN FULL COMPLIANCE WITH CONDITIONS
00:53:37ENSHRINED IN THE GENEVA
00:53:40CONVENTIONS. IN THIS CONNECTION, FRANCE WISHES TO UNDERSCORE THE FACT THAT UKRAINE DOES PROVIDE
00:53:44ACCESS TO ITS PROVISIONS. PRISONERS OF WAR. THAT IS,
00:53:47ACCESS TO COMPETENT
00:53:49INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS. WE WELCOME COOPERATION BETWEEN THE
00:53:52UKRAINIAN AUTHORITIES AND THE
00:53:55ICRC IN PROVIDING ACCESS TO RUSSIAN PRISONERS OF WAR. FRANCE
00:53:58WISHES TO RECALL THAT THE PATH
00:54:00TOWARDS A JUST AND LASTING PEACE
00:54:04MUST INCLUDE HUMANITARIAN MEASURES, INCLUDING EXCHANGES OF PRISONERS OF WAR, THE RELEASE OF
00:54:07CIVILIANS, AND THE RETURN OF ALL UKRAINIAN CHILDREN AND ALL
00:54:11CIVILIANS THAT HAVE BEEN
00:54:12DEPORTED OR ILLEGALLY
00:54:17TRANSFERRED TO RUSSIA. IN THIS CONNECTION, WE HAIL THE CONTINUATION OF PRISONER OF WAR
00:54:20EXCHANGES. THESE HAVE BEEN RENDERED POSSIBLE BY THE
00:54:23FACILITATION EFFORTS OF SEVERAL
00:54:25STATES. CHAIR, CO-CHAIR. FRANCE
00:54:27IS EQUALLY CONCERNED BY THE
00:54:30FORCED AND DECEPTIVE RECRUITMENT
00:54:33OF FOREIGN NATIONALS BY RUSSIA.
00:54:35NOT SATISFIED WITH IMPOSING.
00:54:39WITH FORCING ITS OWN PEOPLE TO SHOULDER A HEAVY BURDEN IN
00:54:42SERVICE OF ITS WAR OF AGGRESSION, RUSSIA IS
00:54:44INCREASINGLY RELYING ON NATIONALS FROM OTHER NATIONS AND
00:54:48USING THEM AGAINST THEIR WILL, AS HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED BY THE
00:54:52MOST RECENT REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT INTERNATIONAL
00:54:55COMMISSION OF INQUIRY ON UKRAINE. FRANCE URGES RUSSIAN
00:54:59AUTHORITIES TO ABANDON THESE PRACTICES. THESE PRACTICES
00:55:02DELIBERATELY EXPLOIT PEOPLE IN
00:55:05VULNERABLE SITUATIONS. FRANCE CALLS UPON THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY AND, MOST
00:55:09SPECIFICALLY, UPON THE STATES
00:55:13TARGETED BY THESE PRACTICES, TO STEP UP THEIR VIGILANCE IN ORDER TO PREVENT THEIR PEOPLE FROM
00:55:16SUCH PRACTICES. CHAIR CO-CHAIR
00:55:19FRANCIS POSITION REMAINS
00:55:21UNCHANGED. WAR CRIMES AND THE
00:55:24OTHER MOST SERIOUS CRIMES COMMITTED AS PART OF RUSSIA'S
00:55:28WAR OF AGGRESSION AGAINST UKRAINE, MUST NOT GO UNPUNISHED. IN THIS CONNECTION, WE REITERATE
00:55:32OUR FULL SUPPORT FOR THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT AND
00:55:35FOR UKRAINIAN COURTS IN THEIR FIGHT AGAINST IMPUNITY. WE ALSO
00:55:39EXTEND SUCH SUPPORT TO UNITED NATIONS BODIES AND THE COUNCIL
00:55:42OF EUROPE, AS WELL AS CIVIL
00:55:44SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS WORKING TO DOCUMENT CRIMES AND PROVIDE
00:55:48VICTIMS WITH SUPPORT. WE WILL
00:55:51CONTINUE TO RESOLUTELY SUPPORT UKRAINE AND WORK TOWARDS A JUST
00:57:15OBLIGATION THAT ALL STATES HAVE.
00:57:18THAT IS, ALL STATES WITHOUT
00:57:21EXCEPTION IN TERMS OF ENFORCING DUE PROCESS GUARANTEES SO THAT
00:57:24PRISONERS OF WAR AND CIVILIAN
00:57:26DETAINEES ARE ALWAYS PROTECTED
00:57:28FROM VIOLENCE AND SO THAT THEY
00:57:31RECEIVE NECESSARY HEALTH CARE SO
00:57:33THAT ACCESS IS ALLOWED TO THE
00:57:37ICRC THAT HAS THE LEGITIMACY TO ENSURE THAT THE FULL ENJOYMENT
00:57:40OF HUMAN RIGHTS IS ALWAYS GUARANTEED AND THAT ALL RELEVANT STANDARDS ARE BEAT UPHELD.
00:57:44WE VALUE EXCHANGES.
00:57:46AGREEMENTS REACHED BETWEEN PARTIES FOR PRISONER OF WAR
00:57:50EXCHANGES. AND WE ENCOURAGE THE CONTINUATION OF SUCH HUMANITARIAN MEASURES.
00:57:55MOREOVER, WE SHOULD HEAR STATE THAT WE ARE CONCERNED BY THE RECRUITMENT OF PEOPLE OF VARIOUS
00:58:00NATIONALITIES. INCLUDING PEOPLE FROM OUR REGION, LATIN AMERICA.
00:58:03THEY ARE BEING RECRUITED TO JOIN THE RANKS OF THIS CONFLICT.
00:58:07THIS IS A REALITY WHICH
00:58:09REGRETTABLY CONTINUES TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF VICTIMS.
00:58:13IT IS A REALITY WHICH DESERVES GREATER ATTENTION FROM THE
00:58:17INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. CHAIR PANAMA REITERATES THAT THE PANAMA
00:58:21REITERATES THAT THE CONFLICT IN
00:58:23UKRAINE IS RAGING ON WITH GRAVE
00:58:26HUMANITARIAN CONSEQUENCES, CONSEQUENCES WHICH DESERVE OUR
00:58:29ATTENTION AND ACTION. WE
00:58:31REAFFIRM THAT THERE IS NO
00:58:33MILITARY SOLUTION, AND THAT ONLY
00:58:36DIPLOMACY, DIALOG AND POLITICAL WILL ON BOTH SIDES, AND BOTH OF
00:58:40THEIR LEADERSHIP, WILL ALLOW US
00:58:41TO REACH A LASTING PEACE. THANK
00:58:45YOU. >> I THANK THE REPRESENTATIVE OF
00:58:47PANAMA, AND I GIVE THE FLOOR TO
00:58:52THE REPRESENTATIVE OF LIBERIA >> LIBERIA. THANKS. THE
00:58:56PERMANENT MISSIONS OF LATVIA,
00:59:01THE UNITED KINGDOM BRIEFING. WE
00:59:08EXPRESS OUR DEEP APPRECIATION TO THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL,
00:59:11MISS OMAROVA, AND JUNIOR
00:59:14SERGEANT LEIVA GARCIA, REALLY
00:59:19HEART WRENCHING THEIR
00:59:26TESTIMONIES REMIND US THAT
00:59:27BEHIND EVERY LEGAL ARTICLE AND
00:59:31STATISTICAL INDEX IS A HUMAN
00:59:33HEART AND A FAMILY WAITING FOR
00:59:40ANSWERS. MADAM CHAIR, LIBERIA
00:59:42SPEAKS FROM THE QUIET AUTHORITY
00:59:45OF EXPERIENCE, HAVING KNOWN THE
00:59:50AGONY OF CONFLICT AND THE
00:59:54GRUELING PATH TO POSTWAR
00:59:56RECOVERY, WE KNOW THIS TRUTH
01:00:01ABOVE
01:00:12PEACE. IT IS MERELY THE GENEVA
01:00:20CONVENTIONS CONTAIN DATE, AND
01:00:26CERTAINLY EXCEPTIONS. CLAUSE
01:00:32APPLY PRECISELY WHEN HUMANITY IS
01:00:35MOST AT RISK. THE DOCUMENTED
01:00:41FACTS BEFORE LEGAL CLARITY. WHEN
01:00:51UN MONITORING REPORTS THAT OVER
01:00:5490% OF INTERVIEWED RELEASED
01:00:57CIVILIAN DETAINEES AND DUE
01:01:00SYSTEMATICALLY SEVERE TREATMENT,
01:01:03AND WHEN SUMMARY EXECUTIONS OF
01:01:06CAPTURED PERSONNEL RISE,
01:01:09INTERNATIONAL LAW IS BEING
01:01:13ACTIVELY ERODED PRINCIPLED
01:01:19RESPONSES TO . ONE REFUTATION
01:01:26THROUGH
01:01:36ACCOUNTABILITY. THERE REALLY IS
01:01:39NO THIRD OPTION WE, THEREFORE,
01:01:41CALL ON THE PARTIES TO GRANT THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE
01:01:45RED CROSS FULL, REGULAR AND
01:01:50UNIMPEDED ACCESS TO ALL
01:01:50DETENTION FACILITIES. ACCESS OF
01:02:00PROTECTION. A PRISONER, ON IN
01:02:06TRUTH, A PRISONER UNPROTECTED TO
01:02:12MOVE FROM WORDS TO ACTION
01:02:16PROPOSES FOR PRACTICAL PILLARS.
01:02:21ONE. AN ALL FOR ALL.
01:02:23HUMANITARIAN FRAMEWORK
01:02:27PRIORITIZING THE IMMEDIATE OF
01:02:30THE SERIOUSLY ILL. THE WOUNDED
01:02:33AND UNLAWFULLY DETAINED
01:02:35CIVILIANS. THIRD COUNTRY
01:02:38NATIONALS, INCLUDING AFRICANS,
01:02:40TO BE RETURNED TO THEIR COUNTRY
01:02:43OF ORIGIN. TWO A REGISTRY,
01:02:51GUARANTEEING HUMAN BEING
01:02:53VANISHES VANISHES INSTITUTIONAL
01:03:00DARKNESS. DECOUPLED HUMANITARIAN
01:03:03CHANNELS ESTABLISHING PERMANENT
01:03:08EXCHANGE MECHANISMS THAT
01:03:14CONTINUE OPERATING EVEN WHEN
01:03:14POLITICAL DIPLOMACY STALLS.
01:03:21HUMANITY MUST NEVER BE HELD
01:03:22HOSTAGE TO A TIMETABLE,
01:03:25DISMANTLING PREDATORY FOREIGN
01:03:28RECRUITMENT NATIONALS FROM
01:03:33DOZENS OF SOVEREIGN STATES ARE
01:03:35BEING LURED INTO COMBAT, LARGELY
01:03:46OF VULNERABILITY, STATES MUST
01:03:49COOPERATE ACROSS PREVENTION
01:03:51CONSULAR TRAFFICKING NETWORKS.
01:03:57UNDER THE PALERMO PROTOCOL CHAIR
01:04:05INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW IS NOT PRESERVED IN THE COMFORT
01:04:09OF DIPLOMATIC CHAMBERS LIKE
01:04:12THIS. IT IS PRESERVED IN CELL
01:04:16BLOCKS IN TRANSIT CAMPS, AND AT
01:04:21EXCHANGE POINTS, OR IT IS NOT
01:04:24PRESERVED AT ALL LET US ENSURE
01:04:28THAT OUR RESOLVE HERE GIVES
01:04:31LIGHT TO THOSE WAITING IN THE
01:04:33DARK AND BRINGS EVERY MISSING
01:04:40SOUL BACK ATTENTION.
01:04:44>> I THANK THE REPRESENTATIVE OF
01:04:47LIBERIA, AND I GIVE THE FLOOR TO THE REPRESENTATIVE OF BAHRAIN.
01:04:51>> SHUKRAN
01:04:53>> THANK YOU, PRESIDENT. AT THE
01:04:56OUTSET, WE WISH TO EXTEND OUR THANKS TO THE BRIEFERS, AND WE
01:04:59LOOK FORWARD TO AN OPEN AND
01:05:01CONSTRUCTIVE DISCUSSION DURING
01:05:04THIS SESSION. PRESIDENT, THE KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN REAFFIRMS THE
01:05:07NEED TO ABIDE BY THE PROVISIONS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW, INCLUDING
01:05:11THE INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN
01:05:13LAW, AT ALL TIMES, TO PROTECT
01:05:17CIVILIANS AND AND ALLEVIATE
01:05:21HUMANITARIAN SUFFERING RESULTING FROM THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR,
01:05:23INCLUDING FOR PRISONERS OF WAR
01:05:25WHOSE TREATMENT MUST REMAIN
01:05:29HUMANE AT ALL TIMES. THEY MUST BE PROTECTED FROM ALL FORMS OF
01:05:31MISTREATMENT, SUCH AS TORTURE, INTIMIDATION, INTER ALIA, IN
01:05:35ACCORDANCE WITH THE THIRD GENEVA
01:05:37CONVENTION OF 1949 ON THE
01:05:41TREATMENT OF PRISONERS OF WAR
01:05:44PRESIDENT, THE KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN WELCOMES ALL
01:05:47HUMANITARIAN INITIATIVES THAT
01:05:50CONTRIBUTE TO THE ALLEVIATION OF HUMANITARIAN SUFFERING RESULTING
01:05:53FROM WAR TO FIND COMMON GROUND AND BUILD CONFIDENCE AMONG
01:05:56AMONGST THE PARTIES TO PAVE THE WAY FOR A CEASEFIRE AND A
01:06:00DURABLE SOLUTION TO THE CONFLICT. IN THIS REGARD, WE
01:06:04COMMEND THE EFFORTS MADE BY THE
01:06:06UAE TO ENSURE HUMANITARIAN
01:06:09MEDIATION ON PRISONER EXCHANGES,
01:06:12THE LAST OF WHICH WAS IN JUNE
01:06:152026. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF
01:06:19CAPTIVES EXCHANGED THROUGH THESE
01:06:21MEDIATION EFFORTS REACHED 7791.
01:06:25SINCE THE OUTBREAK OF THE WAR.
01:06:28THIS REFLECTS THE IMPORTANCE OF HUMANITARIAN DIPLOMACY TO BUILD
01:06:31CONFIDENCE AMONGST THE PARTIES AND IMPROVE HUMANITARIAN
01:06:35CIRCUMSTANCES. WE STRESS THE
01:06:37NEED TO SEIZE OPPORTUNITIES
01:06:43PROVIDED BY THE US LED MEDIATION EFFORTS, AND WE ENCOURAGE THE PARTIES TO ENGAGE IN
01:06:47NEGOTIATIONS IN GOOD FAITH TO
01:06:50PAVE THE WAY FOR PRACTICAL
01:06:52OUTCOMES THAT END THE CONFLICT,
01:06:55AND HELP FOSTER STABILITY AND
01:06:57SECURITY IN EUROPE. IN
01:07:00CONCLUSION, WE RENEW OUR
01:07:02STEADFAST POSITION IN SUPPORT OF
01:07:05DIALOG AND DIPLOMACY AS THE ONLY MEANS TO END THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE
01:07:09WAR AND PAVE THE WAY FOR A FULL
01:07:11FLEDGED CEASEFIRE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PRINCIPLES OF THE UN
01:07:14CHARTER. TO FOSTER, TO FOSTER
01:07:16STABILITY AND SECURITY, AND PAVE
01:07:19THE WAY FOR AN END TO HUMANITARIAN SUFFERING. I THANK YOU, PRESIDENT.
01:07:23>> THE REPRESENTATIVE OF BAHRAIN. AND I GIVE THE FLOOR TO
01:07:26THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED
01:07:29STATES.
01:07:36>> THANK YOU, CHAIR THE UK FOR
01:07:40ORGANIZING THIS, UH,
01:08:01WE HAVE CLOSELY FOLLOWED THE REPORTS OF FOREIGN NATIONALS FROM THE MIDDLE AFRICA BEING
01:08:05COERCED OR RECRUITED UNDER FALSE
01:08:09PRETENSES INTO THE RUSSIAN ARMED
01:08:10FORCES. WE ARE ALSO AWARE OF
01:08:13CREDIBLE REPORTS THAT THOUSANDS
01:08:16OF CUBANS HAVE TRAVELED TO
01:08:18RUSSIA TO FIGHT IN UKRAINE THE
01:08:23CUBAN REGIME HAS FAILED TO
01:08:25CITIZENS. THIS TIME FROM BEING
01:08:27USED AS PAWNS IN THE
01:08:29RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR A WAR WHOSE
01:08:32COST CONTINUES TO AND WE ECHO
01:08:40HIS CALLS AND A RETURN TO
01:08:44NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT. WE
01:08:47WITNESSED CONCRETE RESULTS IN
01:08:49APRIL AND MAY, WHEN RUSSIA AND
01:08:52UKRAINE AGREED TO EXCHANGE HUNDREDS OF PRISONERS AND
01:08:55ADDITIONAL CIVILIANS THE UNITED
01:08:58STATES SUPPORTS SUCH EXCHANGES
01:09:00AS STEPS TOWARDS DURABLE PEACE
01:09:03AND CONTINUED PRISONERS OF WAR
01:09:06TO THEIR HOME COUNTRIES. AS A
01:09:11FURTHER STEP, THE UNITED STATES WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE
01:09:13GOVERNMENTS OF RUSSIA AND
01:09:15UKRAINE DEDICATION TO THE SAFE
01:09:22RETURN OF CHILDREN IS
01:09:25UNWAVERING. ON JULY 30th, FIRST,
01:09:27LADY MELANIA TRUMP HELPED
01:09:31REUNITE A FIFTH GROUP OF
01:09:34UKRAINIAN AND RUSSIAN CHILDREN
01:09:35WITH THEIR LOVED ONES. CONTINUING HER HUMANITARIAN WORK
01:09:39ON BEHALF OF THOSE AFFECTED BY
01:09:43THE WAR. SUPPORT A $25 MILLION
01:09:50ASSISTANCE PROGRAM CHILDREN,
01:09:54FORCIBLY TRANSFERRED TO RUSSIA
01:09:57AND RUSSIAN CONTROLLED
01:10:00TERRITORIES. THE UNITED STATES
01:10:01WILL DO WHATEVER POSSIBLE TO
01:10:04REUNITE FAMILIES TORN APART BY
01:10:06WAR AND SUPPORT THE NEGOTIATIONS
01:10:09AND CONFIDENCE BUILDING MEASURES
01:10:12NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE LASTING PEACE. THANK YOU.
01:10:16>> I THANK THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED STATES, AND I GIVE
01:10:20THE FLOOR TO THE REPRESENTATIVE
01:10:23OF CHINA.
01:10:29>> CHAIR, AS THE UKRAINE CRISIS CONTINUES TO DRAG ON, SITUATION
01:10:33ON THE BATTLEFIELD IS ESCALATING. ORDINARY PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING PROFOUNDLY. EARLY
01:10:37CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES AND REALIZING POLITICAL SETTLEMENT TO THE CRISIS ARE THE COMMON
01:10:41ASPIRATIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. ABOUT THE THEME OF
01:10:43THE MEETING TODAY, I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE THREE POINTS. FIRST,
01:10:47INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW MUST BE COMPLIED WITH IN
01:10:49EARNEST. RECENT FIGHTING HAS
01:10:52CAUSED MASSIVE CASUALTIES AND
01:10:54DAMAGE TO INFRASTRUCTURE, WHICH
01:10:57IS DEEPLY SADDENING. CHINA ONCE AGAIN URGES THE SECESSION OF ANY
01:11:01ATTACK AGAINST INNOCENT CIVILIANS. CALLS ON PARTIES TO
01:11:04THE CONFLICT TO REMAIN CALM AND EXERCISE RESTRAINT, STRICTLY
01:11:07COMPLY WITH HL AND PROTECT THE
01:11:10SECURITY OF CIVILIANS AND
01:11:14CIVILIAN INFRASTRUCTURE. SECOND, FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF PRISONERS
01:11:18OF WAR MUST BE RESPECTED. THE THIRD GENEVA CONVENTION PROVIDES
01:11:21FOR POWS RIGHT TO HUMANE TREATMENT AND PROTECTION FROM
01:11:24TORTURE, ABUSE, AND OTHER FORMS
01:11:26OF HARM. CHINA PREVIOUSLY ISSUED
01:11:28A PAPER ENTITLED CHINA'S POSITION ON THE POLITICAL SETTLEMENT OF THE UKRAINE
01:11:32CRISIS, CALLING FOR PROTECTION
01:11:36OF CIVILIANS AND P.O.W.s, AND RESPECT FOR FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS.
01:11:39WE CALL ON TWO PARTIES TO THE
01:11:41CONFLICT, TO STRICTLY COMPLY
01:11:44WITH THE RELEVANT. I'LL ENSURE
01:11:46LIVING CONDITIONS OF POWS AND
01:11:48DETAINEES, THEIR ACCESS TO
01:11:51MEDICAL CARE AND THEIR DIGNITY.
01:11:52THIRD PARTIES SHOULD CONTINUE TO CARRY OUT CONFIDENCE BUILDING
01:11:56MEASURES THIS YEAR. RUSSIA AND
01:12:01UKRAINE HAVE HAD MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS, RETURNING THOUSANDS OF SOLDIERS TO THEIR MOTHERLAND. CHINA
01:12:04WELCOMED THIS AND APPRECIATES
01:12:06THE MEDIATION COORDINATION EFFORTS OF COUNTRIES SUCH AS
01:12:10BELARUS, AND THE ASSISTANCE
01:12:13PROVIDED BY ICRC IN VISITING THE
01:12:15POWS AND PROVIDING HUMANITARIAN
01:12:17SUPPLIES. CHINA HOPES PARTIES CONCERNED CAN CONTINUE TO
01:12:21EXCHANGE PRISONERS, ENHANCE
01:12:22MUTUAL TRUST AND REMOVE ANY
01:12:25ENHANCED MUTUAL TRUST TO BUILD
01:12:28UP MOMENTUM FOR PEACE TALKS. CHAIR, CHINA'S POSITION ON THE
01:12:31UKRAINE ISSUE IS CONSISTENT. WE ALWAYS FOLLOW THE FOUR SHOOTS
01:12:34PROPOSED BY PRESIDENT XI JINPING
01:12:36AS OUR FUNDAMENTAL GUIDANCE AND
01:12:39WELCOME ALL EFFORTS DEDICATED TO PEACE AND HOPE THAT RELEVANT
01:12:42PARTIES CAN WORK IN THE SAME DIRECTION, PROPERLY ADDRESS EACH
01:12:46OTHER'S LEGITIMATE SECURITY CONCERNS, AND REMOVE THE ROOT CAUSES OF THE CRISIS WITH A VIEW
01:12:50TO REACHING A COMPREHENSIVE,
01:12:51LASTING AND BINDING PEACE
01:12:54AGREEMENT. CHINA STANDS READY TO
01:12:56CONTINUE WORKING WITH THE
01:12:59INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO PLAY
01:13:01A CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE IN PROMOTING
01:13:04POLITICAL SETTLEMENT TO THE CRISIS AND EARLY DATE. THANK YOU. >> I THANK THE REPRESENTATIVE OF
01:13:07CHINA, AND I GIVE THE FLOOR TO THE REPRESENTATIVE OF DENMARK.
01:13:11>> THANK YOU, ALSO THANK THE
01:13:14BRIEFERS FOR THEIR INTERESTING
01:13:16AND RELEVANT PRESENTATIONS AND
01:13:19THEIR POWERFUL TESTIMONIES. CONSISTENTLY, CONSISTENTLY DEMANDED THAT INTERNATIONAL LAW,
01:13:23INCLUDING INTERNATIONAL
01:13:25HUMANITARIAN LAW, BE FULLY RESPECTED WITHOUT EXCEPTIONS. IN
01:13:29RUSSIA'S UNPROVOKED AND ILLEGAL WAR OF AGGRESSION AGAINST
01:13:31UKRAINE, THIS INCLUDES THE
01:13:33TREATMENT OF PRISONERS OF WAR
01:13:37AND CIVILIAN DETAINEES UNJUSTLY
01:13:39DEPRIVED OF THEIR LIBERTY. MULTIPLE UN BODIES HAVE
01:13:42CONCLUDED THAT RUSSIA'S SUBJECTS, UKRAINIAN POWS TO
01:13:46SYSTEMATIC TORTURE AND ILL TREATMENT, INCLUDING CONFLICT
01:13:50RELATED SEXUAL VIOLENCE. REPORTS
01:13:53OF CAPTURED SOLDIERS BEING SUMMARILY EXECUTED ARE
01:13:56PARTICULARLY DENMARK CONDEMNS
01:13:59THESE ABUSES IN THE STRONGEST
01:14:02POSSIBLE TERMS. ALL PRISONERS OF WAR MUST BE TREATED HUMANELY AND
01:14:05IN ACCORDANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL
01:14:07HUMANITARIAN LAW AT ALL TIMES
01:14:10AND BY ALL PARTIES. WE DEMAND THAT RUSSIA GRANTS INTERNATIONAL
01:14:14COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS UNRESTRICTED ACCESS TO ITS
01:14:17PRISONERS OF WAR CAMPS AND OTHER
01:14:18AREAS OF DETENTION, JUST AS
01:14:21UKRAINE DOES. BOTH UKRAINE AND
01:14:23RUSSIA HAVE SIGNED THE GENEVA
01:14:26CONVENTIONS. ONLY ONE IS
01:14:28RESPECTING THIS OBLIGATION. WE WELCOME THE POW EXCHANGES SO
01:14:32FAR, AND THE RETURN OF HUMAN REMAINS RECOVERED FROM THE
01:14:35BATTLEFIELD, AND WE HOPE MORE EXCHANGES CAN TAKE PLACE, AS
01:14:39HIGHLIGHTED BY MISS JUDGE CARRO.
01:14:41WE ALSO KNOW WE WILL ALSO NOT
01:14:45ALLOW UKRAINIAN CIVILIANS IN THE TEMPORARILY OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
01:14:48TO BE FORGOTTEN CREDIBLE REPORTS
01:14:51STATE THAT CIVILIANS HAVE BEEN
01:14:53FORCIBLY DISAPPEARED FOR WEEKS, MONTHS OR YEARS AT A TIME. AS WE
01:14:56ALSO HEARD ABOUT TODAY BECAUSE
01:14:59THEIR CHILDREN SPOKE UKRAINIAN
01:15:02IN SCHOOL THEY REFUSED TO ACQUIRE RUSSIAN IDENTITY
01:15:05DOCUMENTS, BECAUSE THEY DISAPPROVED OF THIS SENSELESS
01:15:08WAR. ONCE UNJUSTLY DETAINED,
01:15:11THESE CIVILIANS ARE OFTEN
01:15:13SUBJECTED TO THE SAME HORRORS AS
01:15:16UKRAINIAN PRISONERS OF WAR, BUT WITHOUT THE PROTECTION,
01:15:19PROCEDURAL SAFEGUARDS, AND
01:15:21INTERNATIONAL OVERSIGHT THAT
01:15:26THEY MUST BE PROVIDED UNDER INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW. DENMARK CONDEMNS RUSSIA'S
01:15:29UNJUSTIFIED DETAINMENT OF UKRAINIAN CIVILIANS AND CALLS
01:15:31FOR THEIR IMMEDIATE AND
01:15:34UNCONDITIONAL RELEASE SUSTAINED
01:15:39AND WELL-DOCUMENTED MILITARY COOPERATION WITH THE DPRK IS A
01:15:41STARK ILLUSTRATION OF THE INCREASINGLY GLOBAL DIMENSION OF
01:15:44THIS WAR. BOTH MOSCOW AND
01:15:46PYONGYANG ADMIT THAT THIS
01:15:48COOPERATION IS ONGOING WITH NORTH KOREAN TROOPS ACTIVELY
01:15:52SUPPORTING RUSSIA'S WAR AGAINST
01:15:54UKRAINE. THERE ARE ALSO REPORTS
01:15:57THAT SEVERAL DPRK MISSILE UNITS
01:16:00HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED, WHICH WOULD CONSTITUTE A FURTHER FLAGRANT
01:16:03VIOLATION OF THE UN SANCTIONS REGIME. WE ARE ALSO CONCERNED BY
01:16:07REPORTS OF RUSSIA RECRUITING THIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS, PARTICULARLY FROM STATES ACROSS
01:16:11THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA, INTO
01:16:16ITS ARMED FORCES, THROUGH THE USE OF MISLEADING CLAIMS AND FALSE ADVERTISING. AS WE HAVE
01:16:20ALSO HEARD ABOUT TODAY, LURING UNSUSPECTING FOREIGN NATIONALS
01:16:24TO FIGHT AT THE FRONT IS
01:16:26UNACCEPTABLE AND MUST CEASE. THIS SHOWS RUSSIA'S WILLINGNESS
01:16:29TO FURTHER EXCEED LEGAL, MORAL
01:16:33AND GEOGRAPHICAL BOUNDARIES IN ITS WAR AGAINST UKRAINE. MADAM
01:16:37CHAIR, IN CLOSING, WE ONCE AGAIN CALL ON RUSSIA TO HEED THE CALLS
01:16:40OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL AND THE
01:16:43INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO STOP
01:16:45THIS DEADLY SPIRAL OF VIOLENCE.
01:16:48AS A FIRST STEP, THERE A JUST
01:16:54AND LASTING PEACE. IN LINE WITH THE UN CHARTER. UKRAINE HAS LONG
01:16:58BEEN READY TO ENGAGE SERIOUSLY
01:17:00AND IN GOOD FAITH. WE CALL ON
01:17:03RUSSIA TO DO THE SAME RUSSIA
01:17:06ALONE STARTED THIS WAR. COULD
01:17:10STOP THE SUFFERING TODAY, IF IT SO CHOOSES. IT IS LONG PAST THE
01:17:13TIME TO DO SO. THANK YOU.
01:17:17>> I THANK THE REPRESENTATIVE OF DENMARK. AND I GIVE THE FLOOR TO
01:17:20THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE
01:17:24RUSSIAN FEDERATION. >> THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT.
01:17:28TODAY'S EVENT IS QUITE CLEARLY
01:17:33PART OF THE REGULAR CAMPAIGN THAT IS WELL FUNDED BY A NUMBER
01:17:36OF NATO COUNTRIES THAT ARE DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE CONFLICT IN UKRAINE. IT IS A
01:17:40DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN AGAINST
01:17:42RUSSIA. THE AIM OF WHICH IS TO
01:17:45DERAIL EFFORTS TOWARDS A PEACE SETTLEMENT AND TO JUSTIFY STRIKES ON THE TERRITORY OF
01:17:49RUSSIA AND AGAINST CIVILIANS. WE
01:17:54SUGGEST THAT EVERYBODY WHO IS INTERESTED IN AND WANTS TO LEARN
01:17:57THE TRUTH, TO BREAK AWAY FROM THESE RUSSOPHOBIC CLICHÉS, AND
01:18:01TO LISTEN TO COMMON SENSE AND
01:18:04ANALYZE DIFFERENT SOURCES. UNFORTUNATELY, THAT IS GOING TO
01:18:08REQUIRE MORE THAN THE THREE MINUTES SPEAKING TIME THAT HAS
01:18:11BEEN ESTABLISHED. SO I TRUST THAT MY STATEMENT IS NOT GOING
01:18:15TO BE INTERRUPTED. I'M SURE THAT EVERYONE HAS COME HERE TO LISTEN TO WHAT RUSSIA HAS TO
01:18:18SAY. LET'S START WITH AZOV. AND
01:18:21WITH THE FIRST, THE ROOT CAUSES
01:18:23OF THE CONFLICT. UM, UH,
01:18:26EVERYONE KNOWS THAT WESTERN COUNTRIES IN 2014 BROUGHT PEOPLE
01:18:30TO POWER IN UKRAINE THAT DECLARED THE POPULATION OF THE
01:18:32SOUTH EAST OF THE COUNTRY TO BE
01:18:35TERRORISTS, AND LAUNCHED A FULL
01:18:36SCALE WAR AGAINST THEM, USING
01:18:39TANKS AND AIR POWER, AND ALSO
01:18:42KILLINGS AND TORTURE. THE
01:18:45RESIDENTS OF DONBAS WERE PUNISHED FOR WANTING TO SPEAK IN
01:18:48RUSSIAN, AND FOR WANTING TO EXERCISE THEIR OWN
01:18:51SELF-DETERMINATION. UH, THAT TRAGEDY WAS NOT GIVEN ANY
01:18:54OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT BY THE UN.
01:18:56UH, OR BY ANY OF THOSE THAT ARE
01:19:01TODAY CALLING FOR UPHOLDING
01:19:02HUMAN RIGHTS. AND I'LL AND THE
01:19:07WESTERN BACKERS SUPPORTED THAT
01:19:09TRAGEDY AND DID NOT JUST GIVE IT
01:19:12MORAL SUPPORT. CURRENTLY, THESE
01:19:14TERRIBLE EVENTS ARE THE SUBJECT OF CONSIDERATION WITHIN THE I, C
01:19:18J WHERE KYIV IS A RESPONDENT. IN
01:19:22THE CASE OF A VIOLATION OF THE CONVENTION ON THE PREVENTION AND PUNISHMENT OF THE CRIME OF
01:19:26GENOCIDE, AND I SUGGEST THAT YOU
01:19:28FOLLOW THOSE PROCEEDINGS. SINCE THE POPULATION OF DONBAS DID NOT
01:19:32SUPPORT UKRAINE ENTERING INTO
01:19:36NATO'S ORBIT. THEIR ELIMINATION WAS BENEFICIAL TO THE COUNTRIES OF THE ALLIANCE SO AS TO DRAG
01:19:39UKRAINE INTO THIS AGGRESSIVE
01:19:42BLOCK, WHICH FOR DECADES METHODICALLY AND REGULARLY
01:19:45INCHED TOWARDS THE EAST, TOWARDS
01:19:49RUSSIA'S BORDERS. MOSCOW FIRMLY AND PATIENTLY ASKED THE MEMBERS
01:19:52OF THE ALLIANCE TO KEEP TO THE
01:19:55PRINCIPLE OF INDIVISIBLE SECURITY IN EUROPE THAT THEY HAD
01:19:58AGREED TO. HOWEVER, IN RESPONSE,
01:20:01WE CONSISTENTLY CAME UP AGAINST
01:20:04CYNICAL DECEPTION, OR AGAINST ATTEMPTS TO EXERT PRESSURE AND
01:20:07BLACKMAIL. WHILE THE BLOC'S MILITARY MACHINE STEADILY MOVED
01:20:10RIGHT UP TO OUR DOORSTEP. ONE OF
01:20:13THE STEPS OF THIS DECEPTION WAS
01:20:16THE MINSK AGREEMENTS THE
01:20:18CONCLUSION OF WHICH WAS
01:20:20NECESSARY. UH, ON THE WESTERN
01:20:23SIGNATORIES OWN ADMISSION TO RE-ARM KYIV. THE CULMINATION OF
01:20:27ALL OF THIS WAS THE ARMED
01:20:29ESCALATION IN DONBAS IN 2022.
01:20:33EVERYONE WHO IS INTERESTED, WE
01:20:35SUGGEST THAT YOU LOOK AT THE
01:20:37REGISTERS OF CEASEFIRE
01:20:40VIOLATIONS FROM THE OSCE, SMM AT
01:20:43THAT TIME IN DONBAS. THEY ARE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE FROM THOSE REGISTERS. YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE
01:20:46THAT IT WAS KYIV THAT ATTACKED
01:20:50DONBAS, AND IT IS IN THAT CONTEXT. AFTER AN OFFICIAL
01:20:54REQUEST FROM THE DONETSK AND LUGANSK PEOPLE'S REPUBLICS FOR
01:20:57ASSISTANCE, IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 51 OF THE UN CHARTER,
01:21:00THAT RUSSIA TOOK THE DECISION TO
01:21:03CONDUCT A SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION. THE CRISIS IN UKRAINE
01:21:06WAS ORCHESTRATED AND CONTINUES
01:21:09TO BE INFLAMED BY THE COUNTRIES
01:21:10OF THE WEST, WHO ALLEGEDLY ARE
01:21:16CONCERNED BY THE FATE OF PEOPLE WHO ARE AFFECTED BY THE
01:21:20CONFLICT. THE UK IS PROMINENT AMONG THOSE COUNTRIES. BACK IN
01:21:222016, THE UK SIGNED A MEMORANDUM
01:21:25ON MILITARY COOPERATION WITH KYIV, ACCORDING TO WHICH THE
01:21:29PARTIES BEGAN TO EXCHANGE
01:21:32INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION.
01:21:34BRITAIN BEGAN TO TRAIN UKRAINIAN
01:21:37SOLDIERS. IN THAT REGARD, IT IS NO SURPRISE THAT IN THE SPRING
01:21:39OF 2022, WHEN, DURING THE
01:21:42ISTANBUL NEGOTIATIONS, THE
01:21:44PARAMETER FOR A PEACE SETTLEMENT HAD PRACTICALLY BEEN DETERMINED,
01:21:48THE THEN BRITISH PRIME MINISTER, BORIS JOHNSON, DERAILED THE
01:21:51AGREEMENT AND ORDERED KYIV TO
01:21:53WAGE HOSTILITIES. AND NOW THE
01:21:57REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM IS TALKING ABOUT
01:22:00DE-ESCALATION. WELL, WHERE WAS
01:22:02THAT STATEMENT IN 2022? LONDON
01:22:05IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST SUPPLIERS
01:22:07OF ARMS TO THE AFU, AND HAS
01:22:09ALREADY SPENT MORE THAN 13 MILLION POUNDS STERLING ON THAT
01:22:13AIM SINCE 2024, IT HAS BEEN
01:22:18IMPLEMENTING PROJECT BREAK STOP, AS PART OF WHICH IT IS NOW
01:22:21TESTING BRITISH LONG RANGE SYSTEMS. AND MAKE NO MISTAKE,
01:22:25TODAY'S EVENT IS AN ATTEMPT TO JUSTIFY THE USE OF THOSE SYSTEMS
01:22:28AGAINST RUSSIA AND ITS CIVILIAN
01:22:32POPULATION. IN 2020, BRITAIN
01:22:39SIGNED AN AGREEMENT ON A POLITICAL, COMMERCIAL AND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH
01:22:43UKRAINE, AND IN 2024, AN AGREEMENT ON SECURITY
01:22:46COOPERATION. I THINK THAT THERE IS NO ONE IN THIS ROOM WHO
01:22:49BELIEVES THAT THIS IS A FORM OF
01:22:53CHARITY. IN UKRAINE, A TIME TESTED COLONIAL POLICY IS BEING
01:22:56CARRIED OUT, AND THE UKRAINIANS
01:22:57HAVE TO EARN THEIR PLACE WITHIN
01:23:01A MANDATE TERRITORY. AND THEN THERE'S LATVIA. TO PROPERLY
01:23:04UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION, IT'S
01:23:05IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT BALTIC
01:23:11COMPANIES ARE PROVIDING UKRAINE WITH TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DRONE COMPONENTS, THOSE SELF-SAME
01:23:13DRONES THAT ARE THEN USED TO
01:23:15HUNT THE CIVILIAN POPULATION.
01:23:18FOR EXAMPLE, THE LATVIAN ELCO
01:23:20GRUPA A S HAS SUPPLIED UKRAINE
01:23:23WITH 2100 REMOTE CONTROLLED
01:23:28DRONES FROM THE 1st OF NOVEMBER
01:23:282025 TO THE 1st OF APRIL 2026.
01:23:34HOWEVER, DISCUSSING THESE ISSUES IS NOT WHY LONDON OR RIGA IS
01:23:38CONVENING THE MEMBERS OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL. THEIR AIM IS
01:23:41TO CONTINUE LABELING THE ARMED FORCES OF RUSSIA, WHICH ARE
01:23:45COMPLYING WITH THEIR OBLIGATIONS UNDER INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN
01:23:49LAW. IN THIS CONTEXT, WE SUGGEST COMPARING THE RESULTS OF THE
01:23:52ARMED CONFRONTATION. FOR
01:23:54EXAMPLE, IN GAZA, WHERE, AS A
01:23:57RESULT OF THE HOSTILITIES THERE,
01:23:58THE LANDSCAPE HAS BECOME A LUNAR
01:24:02LANDSCAPE, AND WHERE FOR THAT CONFLICT, A NUMBER OF THE COUNTRIES THAT ARE HERE ARE
01:24:05EXPRESSING CONCERN ABOUT IHL ARE
01:24:08SUPPLYING WEAPONS. AND THEN THE SITUATION IN UKRAINE, WHERE THE
01:24:11RUSSIAN SIDE IS USING HIGH PRECISION WEAPONS TO STRIKE
01:24:14MILITARY TARGETS. IT IS THE SCRUPULOUS OBSERVANCE BY RUSSIA
01:24:18OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW THAT EXPLAINS THE FACT THAT
01:24:22ACHIEVING THE GOALS OF THE SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION IS
01:24:25TAKING TIME. BY CONTRAST, KYIV
01:24:27IS ABUSING THE HUMANITARIAN SUBJECT NOT ONLY IN MEETINGS AND
01:24:31IN THE PUBLIC SPACE. LET'S
01:24:33REMEMBER ABOUT RECORDED CASES OF THE USE OF AMBULANCES WITH RED
01:24:38CROSS MARKINGS TO MOVE SOLDIERS
01:24:39TO THE FRONT LINE, OR THE
01:24:44OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF THE UKRAINIAN RED CROSS ITSELF ABOUT
01:24:46THE WIDE SCALE MISUSE IN THE
01:24:48COUNTRY OF THEIR EMBLEMS. WHILE
01:24:54THE WESTERN COUNTRIES REPRESENTATIVES IN THIS ROOM ARE
01:24:56SPECULATING ABOUT THE SECRETARY GENERAL'S BLACKLIST, THE
01:24:59UKRAINIAN ARMY FORMATIONS, CONVINCED OF THEIR IMPUNITY, ARE
01:25:03CONTINUING TO INTENTIONALLY ATTACK THE CIVILIAN POPULATION
01:25:05OF RUSSIA. WE REGULARLY PROVIDE
01:25:09THE UN WITH INFORMATION ABOUT THE DEATHS OF CHILDREN, ABOUT
01:25:13HUNTING OF A CIVILIAN VEHICLE,
01:25:15TORTURE AND OTHER VIOLATIONS BY THE AFU. AND HERE IS ONE LATEST
01:25:18EXAMPLE. ON THE 3rd OF AUGUST, A
01:25:23DRONE NOSE DIVED ONTO A BEACH IN ARKHIPOV OSIPOV, WHERE DOZENS OF
01:25:26PEOPLE WERE ON HOLIDAY. AS A RESULT, SEVEN PEOPLE DIED,
01:25:29INCLUDING FOUR CHILDREN. IN THIS
01:25:34CONTEXT, I WOULD REFER TO THE STATEMENT BY THE REPRESENTATIVE
01:25:37OF DENMARK, WHO SAID THAT ONLY
01:25:39ONE PARTY TO THE CONFLICT IS COMPLYING WITH IHL. MADAM
01:25:43PRESIDENT, YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT UPHOLDING INTERNATIONAL
01:25:46HUMANITARIAN LAW? WELL, THEN, TELL THAT TO THE PARENTS OF THE FIVE YEAR OLD GIRL THAT LOST HER
01:25:49LIFE ON THAT BEACH, HAVING ONLY
01:25:53JUST SEEN THE SEA FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HER LIFE. TELL IT TO THE
01:25:57PARENTS OR THE RELATIVES OF THE
01:25:59AROUND 300 RUSSIANS WHO ARE
01:26:01MISSING AFTER THE AFU INCURSION INTO KURSK OBLAST, THEIR FATE
01:26:05HAS STILL NOT BEEN ESTABLISHED,
01:26:10OR THE 4500 PEOPLE WHO TODAY ARE
01:26:14LIVING IN BASEMENTS IN DRUZHKIVKA, AWAITING THE ARRIVAL
01:26:18OF RUSSIAN SOLDIERS IN CONDITIONS WHEN THE SO-CALLED
01:26:21UKRAINIAN EVACUATION GROUP, THE WHITE ANGELS, IS TRYING TO
01:26:24FORCIBLY TAKE THEM TO UKRAINE. IN RESPONSE TO STATEMENTS FROM
01:26:28ONE LOCAL RESIDENT SAYING THAT SHE WANTED TO GO TO RUSSIA, THE
01:26:31UKRAINIAN POLICE SUGGESTED THAT SHE SHOULD TALK TO THE RED CROSS
01:26:35VOLUNTEERS SO THAT SHE COULD BE
01:26:36PUT ON THE LIST TO BE EXCHANGED,
01:26:40AND THAT'S CLEARLY HOW THEY'RE
01:26:41PUTTING TOGETHER THOSE LISTS.
01:26:46PRESIDENT, TODAY, THERE WERE CONCERNS VOICED ABOUT THE INTERNATIONALIZATION OF THE FIGHTING THROUGH THE INVOLVEMENT OF FOREIGN CITIZENS. BUT FOR
01:26:49SOME REASON, WE ARE NOT BEING
01:26:52GIVEN ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THE PARTICIPATION OF SOLDIERS FROM
01:26:55NATO COUNTRIES THAT ARE DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE PLANNING AND
01:26:57CONDUCT OF OPERATIONS AGAINST
01:27:01RUSSIA. THERE IS FULL INFORMATION ABOUT THIS IN PUBLIC. WE'VE NOT BEEN TOLD
01:27:05THAT THE UNITED KINGDOM HAS
01:27:08TRAINED 58,000 UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS. THE REPRESENTATIVES OF
01:27:11KYIV DID NOT SHARE WITH US STATEMENTS BY THE MILITARY
01:27:15OMBUDSMAN OF UKRAINE, OLGA RESHETNIKOVA, SAYING THAT ON
01:27:19KYIV'S SIDE NOW, ACCORDING TO
01:27:20UKRAINIAN DATA, THERE ARE AROUND
01:27:2316,000 FOREIGN VOLUNTEERS FROM
01:27:2672 COUNTRIES, AND THEY ARE INVOLVED IN VIOLATIONS OF IHL,
01:27:29ALONG ON THE SAME LEVEL AS
01:27:31UKRAINIANS THEMSELVES. BUT
01:27:34UNFORTUNATELY, A BBC FILM ISN'T BEING MADE ABOUT THAT, AND THERE'S NO UN DATA ABOUT IT
01:27:37EITHER. BUT WE CAN PROVIDE THAT. IT'S ALL PUBLICLY AVAILABLE.
01:27:41ACCORDING TO THE MOST RECENT REPORTS, A WHOLE GROUP OF
01:27:43MERCENARIES IS NOW DEPLOYED IN A
01:27:45CHILDREN'S SPORTS CAMP IN
01:27:48SPRING IN LVIV OBLAST. THE
01:27:53PARENTS OF THOSE CHILDREN ARE DIRECTLY COMPLAINING ABOUT THAT
01:27:54ON SOCIAL NETWORKS. MOREOVER, AT
01:27:57THIS PURELY CIVILIAN FACILITY,
01:27:58THERE IS AN ARSENAL WITH ARMS
01:28:02FROM SEVERAL AFU SPECIAL UNITS YOU WON'T LEARN FROM THE
01:28:06ORGANIZERS, THE ORGANIZERS, WHO
01:28:07ARE ALLEGEDLY CONCERNED ABOUT
01:28:10IHL, ABOUT THE SOPHISTICATED TORTURE AND DEGRADATION AND
01:28:14MORAL AND PHYSICAL ABUSE, INCLUDING USING ELECTRIC CHAIRS
01:28:17AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS. THAT IS, THAT RUSSIAN SOLDIERS ARE
01:28:21SUBJECTED TO. THERE IS AMPLE
01:28:24TESTIMONY OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND THREATS OF VIOLENCE, TORTURE IN
01:28:27THE FORM OF DEPRIVATION OF SLEEP, WATER, FOOD, AND A NUMBER
01:28:30OF OTHER FORMS OF TORTURE. IN
01:28:32THIS REGARD, I WOULD LIKE TO DRAW THE ATTENTION OF THOSE HERE
01:28:36PRESENT WHO TRULY WANT TO FORM AN OBJECTIVE UNDERSTANDING OF
01:28:40WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE REPORT OF THE AMBASSADOR AT LARGE, OF
01:28:45THE RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY, INTO THE CRIMES OF THE KYIV
01:28:48REGIME, MR. MOROZENKO, THAT REPORT IS CALLED SECRET PRISONS,
01:28:51AND THE BOTH PARTS OF IT ARE PUBLISHED ON THE WEBSITE OF THE
01:28:55RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY. AND YOU CAN FIND THE LINK IN THE
01:28:58TEXT OF MY STATEMENT. IT'S ON THE WEBSITE. AND ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO CAN TAKE A LOOK OF THOSE REPORTS. YOU WILL LEARN
01:29:02FROM THOSE REPORTS THAT NEITHER
01:29:05THE ICRC NOR THE UN HAS ACCESS TO THOSE PLACES WHERE THE
01:29:09TORTURE OF RUSSIAN SOLDIERS IS BEING CARRIED OUT, AND PERHAPS
01:29:13THAT IS WHAT THE UNITED KINGDOM IS TRAINING UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS
01:29:17TO DO. THEY CERTAINLY HAVE A LOT
01:29:18OF EXPERIENCE IN THAT REGARD. CONTRARY TO THE POLITICIZED
01:29:22SPECULATION, REAL HUMANITARIAN
01:29:25WORK ON THE EXCHANGE OF POWS AND CIVILIANS IS NOT STOPPING FOR
01:29:29EVEN A SINGLE DAY. THAT IS BEING DONE BY THE OMBUDSPERSON FOR
01:29:32HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE RUSSIAN
01:29:39FEDERATION, WHO, IN THE FINAL
01:29:41MONTH OF HER TERM, ORGANIZED TWO
01:29:44LARGE EXCHANGES, 175 FOR 175 AND
01:29:47193 FOR 193 IN 2026. IN TOTAL,
01:29:51THERE WERE SEVEN RUSSIAN,
01:29:54UKRAINIAN POW EXCHANGES. AS A
01:29:57RESULT, 1575 RUSSIAN SOLDIERS
01:30:01RETURNED TO THE TERRITORY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION. THE OMBUDSPERSON IS ALSO ACTIVELY
01:30:05COOPERATING WITH THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE
01:30:07RED CROSS. THE ICRC, IN 2026
01:30:12RECEIVED MORE THAN 200 LETTERS,
01:30:14UH, AND IT GOT VERIFIED
01:30:17INFORMATION ABOUT THE CAPTIVITY
01:30:20OF 269 SOLDIERS. THE OPEN AND
01:30:23PUBLIC NATURE OF RUSSIA'S DIALOG WITH THE ICRC IS INDICATED, IN
01:30:26PARTICULAR BY THE RECENT VISIT OF THE ICRC PRESIDENT MIRIANA
01:30:29SLADEK, TO MOSCOW, AS WELL AS
01:30:34VERIFICATION VISITS OF RED CROSS DELEGATIONS TO STAROBIELSK AND BELGOROD OBLAST. IN THIS
01:30:38CONTEXT, THE INTERFERENCE OF EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, INCLUDING IN
01:30:41THE FORM OF THIS SORT OF EVENT,
01:30:44OR THIS EVENT IN PARTICULAR, IS
01:30:46AN ATTEMPT TO HINDER THIS SORT
01:30:49OF COOPERATION IN THIS AREA. AS PART OF THE PLAN FOR MUTUAL
01:30:53VISITS OR JOINT VISITS OF
01:30:56RUSSIAN AND UKRAINIAN POWS THAT
01:31:00ARE DETAINED DURING THE SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION IS SOMETHING
01:31:02WE CONTINUE REGULAR INSPECTIONS FOR DETENTION. CONDITIONS HAVE
01:31:06BEEN VERIFIED FOR MORE THAN 3900
01:31:09UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS IN 15 FACILITIES. FOLLOWING THOSE VISITS, WE CAN SAY THAT THE
01:31:13DETENTION CONDITIONS FOR THIS CATEGORY OF PERSONS, AS WELL AS
01:31:15THEIR FOOD, CLOTHING AND
01:31:17NECESSARY MEDICAL CARE, IS FULLY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE NORMS AND
01:31:20STANDARDS OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW. AND,
01:31:24INCIDENTALLY, I WOULD LIKE TO
01:31:26RECALL THAT THE DETENTION
01:31:29FACILITIES OF UKRAINIAN
01:31:31PRISONERS OF WAR, UH, YOU KNOW,
01:31:33THE SITUATION IN VIENNA, WHERE A DETENTION FACILITY FOR PRISONERS
01:31:37OF WAR WAS BOMBED BY UKRAINIANS,
01:31:39AND THEN A PLANE WAS SHOT DOWN. YOU NEED TO REMEMBER THESE
01:31:43THINGS. AT THE END OF JULY. YANA
01:31:46LANTRATOV REPORTED ANOTHER EXCHANGE IN TWO CATEGORIES, POWS
01:31:50AND CIVILIANS WHO WERE ON THE TERRITORY OF UKRAINE AND AREN'T
01:31:53ABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY RETURN
01:31:54HOME. HOWEVER, THE SUCCESS OF THIS DEPENDS DIRECTLY ON THE
01:31:58UKRAINIAN SIDE, WHICH IS
01:32:02EXTREMELY SELECTIVE IN ITS APPROACH TO THIS PROCESS AND IS
01:32:04NOT CHOOSING ALL OF THE SOLDIERS THAT RUSSIA WANTS TO PUT FORWARD
01:32:08FOR EXCHANGE. FOR EXAMPLE, KYIV
01:32:10IS INTENTIONALLY NOT INCLUDING IN THE EXCHANGE PROCESS,
01:32:14SOLDIERS FROM THE LPR AND DPR AND THE REPUBLIC OF CRIMEA,
01:32:17CRIMEA, IT CALLS THEM TRAITORS,
01:32:18JUST FOR THE CHOICE THAT THEY MADE. IN CONCLUSION, I WOULD
01:32:22LIKE TO SAY A FEW WORDS AND MAKE
01:32:24A FEW COMMENTS ABOUT THE
01:32:27STATEMENTS BY THE DISTINGUISHED
01:32:30BRIEFERS. WE NOTE THAT ALL OF THE BRIEFERS HAD AN OPPORTUNITY
01:32:33TO COME HERE. THEY GOT VISAS.
01:32:36THEY WERE ABLE TO COME TO THE UNITED STATES, AND THEY'RE HERE ON THE PODIUM, AND WE ARE
01:32:39LISTENING TO THEIR STATEMENTS.
01:32:41BUT WHEN RUSSIA ATTEMPTS TO
01:32:43ORGANIZE A MEETING AND BRING PEOPLE HERE WHO HAVE BEEN TORTURED AND PERSECUTED, THEY'RE
01:32:47JUST NOT GIVEN VISAS. AND SO
01:32:53IT'S VERY EASY JUST TO NOT LISTEN TO THEM. BUT WE ARE, OF
01:32:55COURSE, TRYING TO PROVIDE
01:33:00INFORMATION, INCLUDING ONLINE.
01:33:00I'D LIKE TO BEGIN WITH THE
01:33:04STATEMENT BY, UH, CLAUDIA
01:33:07FUENTES, JULIO FROM RH. I NOTED
01:33:10THAT YOUR STATEMENT SAID THAT RUSSIAN PRISONERS OF WAR ARE
01:33:14SUBJECTED TO TORTURE. UNFORTUNATELY, YOU DIDN'T GO
01:33:17INTO DETAIL, AND YOU HASTILY
01:33:20CONCLUDED THAT IT WAS ON A SMALLER SCALE. BUT I FEAR THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW THE SCALE OF
01:33:23THIS. AND THESE CONCLUSIONS ARE
01:33:27VERY HASTY. THEY SHOULD NOT BE MADE SO HASTILY. YOU NEED TO
01:33:31STUDY THE SITUATION IN MORE DETAIL, AND PROBABLY HOLD AN EVENT, AND WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL
01:33:34PARTICIPATE IN SUCH AN EVENT
01:33:36WHERE WE CAN TALK ABOUT TORTURE
01:33:40COMMITTED AGAINST RUSSIAN PRISONER OF WAR, PRISONERS OF
01:33:42WAR BY THE A F YOU AND THEIR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES. AND WE
01:33:46HOPE TO SEE OBJECTIVITY IN THAT REGARD. BUT FOR THE TIME BEING, WE HAVEN'T. NEXT, I WOULD LIKE
01:33:50TO COMMENT ON THE STATEMENT BY
01:33:52MISS UMAROVA IT'S AN
01:33:56INTERESTING STORY. I'LL START
01:34:00WITH WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT THE
01:34:01FATE OF THE CRIMEAN TATAR PEOPLE
01:34:04AFTER CRIMEA BECAME PART OF RUSSIA. HERE, I WOULD LIKE TO
01:34:07NOTE THAT THIS SPECIFIC ACCUSATION WAS CONSIDERED BY THE
01:34:11I, C J WHERE ALL OF THE
01:34:13INFORMATION WAS LAID OUT, ALLEGEDLY, THAT RUSSIA WAS
01:34:17PERSECUTING THE CRIMEAN TATARS.
01:34:19HOW MANY DO YOU THINK OF THOSE ACCUSATIONS WERE UPHELD BY THE
01:34:22COURT? NONE OF THEM. SO PLEASE
01:34:24READ THE COURT DECISION FROM JANUARY 2024. ALL OF THOSE
01:34:28ACCUSATIONS WERE REFUTED. NONE OF THEM WAS UPHELD. AND WE ARE
01:34:31STILL HEARING ABOUT THIS I DO
01:34:37NOT KNOW MISS UMAROV'S PERSONAL
01:34:39STORY, BUT ACCORDING TO PUBLICLY
01:34:41AVAILABLE INFORMATION, SHE WAS
01:34:44DETAINED BECAUSE SHE CAME TO THE TERRITORY OF RUSSIA THROUGH THE
01:34:48TERRITORY OF GEORGIA WITHOUT A VISA, WITHOUT A RUSSIAN PASSPORT, AND WITHOUT A VISA. SO
01:34:52YOU WOULD NEED TO HAVE ONE OR THE OTHER, BUT YOU DIDN'T HAVE
01:34:54EITHER. IF I'M IF I'M CORRECT.
01:35:02HAD PHOTOGRAPHS OF MILITARY
01:35:07HARDWARE AND THE LOCATION OF THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE RUSSIAN ARMED
01:35:09FORCES ON HER PHONE. SO THAT WAS
01:35:12THE SITUATION. AND I THINK
01:35:14EVERYONE HEARD THAT MISS UMAROVA
01:35:16HAD A LAWYER, AND THERE WAS A
01:35:18LEGAL PROCESS. PERHAPS SOMEONE
01:35:23HERE MAY RECALL YELENA
01:35:26BEREZHNAYA. SHE ALSO ADDRESSED THE SECURITY COUNCIL, A CITIZEN
01:35:30OF UKRAINE. SHE WAS ARRESTED AND
01:35:32SHE WAS KEPT INCOMMUNICADO. AND
01:35:35HER FATE AT PRESENT IS UNKNOWN.
01:35:39WE SAW ONE EPISODE WHERE SHE WAS
01:35:41BROUGHT BEFORE THE COURT. SHE
01:35:43WAS IN A VERY POOR CONDITION.
01:35:47SHE HAD A SUFFERED A MEDICAL PROBLEMS. SHE HAD BEEN TREATED
01:35:50POORLY, TORTURED, BUT NO ONE IS INTERESTED IN HER FACE. AND
01:35:53UNFORTUNATELY, SHE'S NOT ABLE TO
01:35:55COME HERE AND TELL US ABOUT
01:35:59WHAT'S HAPPENED TO HER. SO PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THAT
01:36:01SORT OF INFORMATION. PLEASE ALSO
01:36:04PAY ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT
01:36:07MR. JUAN GARCIA WAS A DEFENDER OF AZOVSTAL, AS I UNDERSTOOD
01:36:10FROM WHAT HE SAID, HE WAS A DEFENDER OF AZOVSTAL. THE PEOPLE
01:36:14WHO WERE AT AZOVSTAL. THIS IS
01:36:15THE AZOV BATTALION, THE THE
01:36:18INFAMOUS BATTALION THAT ENGAGED
01:36:22IN TORTURE AND ABUSES AGAINST
01:36:24PEOPLE IN DONBAS. SOMETHING WAS
01:36:26SAID HERE, UH, ABOUT RUSSIA'S,
01:36:29UM, SHATTERED ILLUSIONS ABOUT NEOFASCISM. BUT IF ANYBODY WANTS
01:36:32TO LOOK AT THE EMBLEM OF THE AZOV BATTALION, YOU CAN LOOK AT
01:36:36IT FOR YOURSELF. I'VE GOT A LITTLE PHONE, BUT IF YOU WANT TO
01:36:39GOOGLE IT, YOU CAN SEE THIS IS THE EMBLEM. UH, IT HAS A
01:36:43SWASTIKA ON IT. IN CASE YOU CAN'T SEE. SO YOU CAN SEE THAT
01:36:47SWASTIKA THERE. THAT IS THE SORT
01:36:50OF UNIT THAT WE ARE TALKING
01:36:52ABOUT. AND INCIDENTALLY, IN THE UNITED STATES, FOR QUITE SOME
01:36:55TIME, IT WAS ON A LIST OF
01:36:57ORGANIZATIONS THAT COULD NOT BE
01:37:00BE SUPPLIED WITH WEAPONS. SO, SO THAT'S THE SORT OF ORGANIZATION THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. AND I
01:37:04WILL JUST SAY A FEW WORDS,
01:37:05ALTHOUGH SLIGHTLY LESS ABOUT MR.
01:37:09GUSHCHIN, WHO IS ALSO TALKING ABOUT 300 PLACES OF DETENTION.
01:37:13THE SAME FIGURES COME UP TIME
01:37:15AND AGAIN EVERY FEW YEARS. THE
01:37:20TERRITORIAL SCOPE OF WHERE THESE ARE EXACTLY LOCATED CHANGES, BUT
01:37:23THE NUMBER REMAINS THE SAME. THIS IS A PERSON WHO WORKS FOR
01:37:26THE GOVERNMENT OF UKRAINE, SO IT'S HARD TO EXPECT MUCH
01:37:30OBJECTIVITY FROM HIM. AND
01:37:32LASTLY, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY. UM,
01:37:36MISS UMAROV, I THINK, HAS RELATIVES IN CRIMEA. I WOULD
01:37:40JUST LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT CRIMEA CURRENTLY IS BEING BOMBED
01:37:44BY UKRAINE. PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DEPRIVED OF ELECTRICITY AND
01:37:48WATER THANKS TO THE ACTIONS OF
01:37:50KYIV ITSELF. UH, KYIV, THAT YOU ARE NOW SUPPORTING AT THIS
01:37:54EVENT. IT'S VERY DIFFICULT FOR THE PEOPLE OF CRIMEA. AND THE GOVERNMENT OF RUSSIA IS DOING
01:37:57EVERYTHING IT CAN TO ENSURE THAT
01:37:59THEIR LIVES CAN GO ON AS NORMAL FOR CIVILIANS. IN CONCLUSION, I
01:38:03WOULD LIKE TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT PROPAGANDA EVENTS
01:38:07LIKE TODAY'S EVENT ARE AN
01:38:11INDICATION OF THE CRISIS IN THE
01:38:12WORK OF OUR ORGANIZATION. UNFORTUNATELY, I CAN'T PROVIDE
01:38:16ALL OF THE INFORMATION I WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE HERE. THE
01:38:19DISTORTED PICTURE OF THIS CRISIS AND ITS ROOT CAUSES, ARE A
01:38:23BARRIER ON THE PATH TO A PEACE
01:38:26SETTLEMENT. SO THIS SORT OF
01:38:29EVENT IS ONLY MISLEADING PEOPLE AND COMPOUNDING THE CRISIS.
01:38:31THANK YOU. AND THANK