JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukrainian Accounts of Torture Point to Systematic Russian Policy, Expert Says” – New York Times
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“The U.N. Special Rapporteur on torture said Moscow’s refusal to address the issue represented tacit approval of its use. Russia has denied it practices torture.”
“Torture perpetrated by Russian officers against Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war has reached such a level that it is clearly a systematic, state-endorsed policy, [according to Alice Jill Edwards, U.N. Special Rapporteur on torture who recently spent a week in Ukraine] …. Witnesses shared accounts that were credible … and … confirmed a consistent pattern of torture, including rape and beatings, in different detention facilities under Russian occupation and among Ukrainian soldiers captured by Russian forces. … ‘This is not random, aberrant behavior,’ [] Edwards said. ‘This is orchestrated as part of state policy to intimidate, instill fear or punish to extract information and confessions.’ …”
Edwards accuses Russian authorities of ignoring at least seven attempts by her to communicate with them across the past year about the concerns. She charges that, while the Kremlin has denied that it practices torture, Russian refusal to address the issue, and the growing number of cases, equate to tacit approval.