Amnesty International Poland condemns Russia’s actions in Ukraine following controversial Amnesty report

EUROPEAN PRAVDA – FRIDAY, 5 AUGUST 2022, 23:26

On Friday, 5 August, following the publication of the controversial Amnesty International report the day before, the Polish branch of the human rights organisation Amnesty International published a statement condemning the crimes the Russian army has committed in Ukraine.

Source: European Pravda

Details: The statement, titled Statement on Documenting Violations of Human Rights, stresses that Amnesty International "consistently condemns Russia’s invasion of independent Ukraine and has repeatedly called for Russian forces to be held accountable for the war crimes and gross violations of international humanitarian law that they have committed [in Ukraine]".

"Since the first days of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Russian troops have been committing inhumane attacks not only on particular civilian facilities, but also on large cities, small towns and villages that are often inhabited only by civilians," the statement reads.

It continues: "The Armed Forces of Ukraine, supported by democratic countries from all over the world, including Poland, are defending themselves against cruel and unfair attacks, and are fighting under unequal conditions imposed by the aggressor."

Amnesty International Poland also emphasises that the protection of civilians is crucial during any armed conflict.

"Independence, impartiality and rigorous use of evidence are the basic principles underlying the activities of our organisation. We know that under the conditions of a defensive war – during direct armed confrontation with the invading forces – situations might arise in which the proximity of fighting makes it difficult to ensure the safety of the civilian population," the statement says.

It proceeds to list instances when the security of civilians has been violated, including targeted or chaotic attacks on civilians and the shooting of civilians by the Russian army, the war crimes Russian soldiers have committed in Kyiv Oblast and in Mariupol, and the humanitarian crises caused by the "frequent shelling and the sieges the Russians laid to [Ukrainian] cities".

"We are monitoring the violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, wherever this happens, regardless of who the victim and the perpetrator are. This is true of the war in Ukraine, as well," the statement concludes.

Background: 

On 4 August, the human rights organisation Amnesty International published a report claiming that the Ukrainian forces are endangering the civilian population by establishing their bases in schools and hospitals.

Amnesty International Ukraine officials said that they were not involved in authoring or distributing the Amnesty International report. On the contrary, they have been trying to convince their colleagues that the report was incomplete and inappropriate. In the end, Amnesty International Ukraine refused to translate or distribute the report. Their opinion was not taken into account.

The Office of the President has responded that the only threat to Ukrainians is the Russian army, and that Amnesty International’s claims are nothing less than participation in Russia’s defamation campaign against Ukraine.

Oleksii Reznikov, the Minister of Defence of Ukraine, has said that he believes that the Amnesty International report is proof that the organisation has "lost common sense".

Dmytro Kuleba, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, has said that the report is "creating a false equivalence between criminal and victim".

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