Prediction Thread: When Will Ukraine Conquer Russia

[BeBMan]

Russia’s war in Ukraine synonymous with torture: UN expert

KYIV (10 September 2023) – Russia’s armed aggression is becoming synonymous with torture and other inhuman cruelty, a UN expert said today.


“The volume of credible allegations of torture and other inhumane acts that are being perpetrated against civilians and prisoners of war by Russian authorities appears to be unabating,” said Alice Jill Edwards, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. “These grievous acts appear neither random nor incidental, but rather orchestrated as part of a State policy to intimidate, instil fear, punish, or extract information and confessions,” Edwards said in a statement at the end of an official visit to Ukraine.

The UN torture expert gathered harrowing testimonies involving electric charges being applied to ears and genitals, beatings of all kinds, mock executions at gunpoint, simulated drowning, being required to hold stress positions, threats of rape or death, and various ceremonies of ridicule and humiliation. Returned Ukrainian civilians and soldiers recounted being crowded in basements and cells, in congested conditions, and being poorly fed. Several lost dangerous levels of weight.

Edwards said these acts would constitute torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, prohibited at all times and in all circumstances under international human rights and humanitarian law.

“Because the global prohibition of torture reflects our shared aspiration to live in societies free of fear, perpetrators - including at the highest levels - must be brought to justice,” she stressed.

During the Special Rapporteur’s visit from 4-10 September, she reviewed the procedures and practices of investigation and prosecution of such crimes of torture committed within the context of the armed conflict. According to Ukrainian government figures, over 103,000 war crimes proceedings have been registered so far.

“A major challenge for the authorities is handling the enormity of the allegations, which has required the upscaling of operations, staffing and skill sets,”, said the Special Rapporteur. “The work that the Ukrainian authorities are undertaking to document war crimes is all the more impressive given that it is being carried out ‘in real time’. That early action is virtually unprecedented anywhere in the world.”

“The international duty on every country to investigate and prosecute crimes of torture and other inhuman acts is not altered by war or other exceptional circumstances. Yet these circumstances would pose great challenges for any system,” the expert said.

Edwards was briefed on multiple obstacles to achieving justice for victims. These include the inaccessibility of presently occupied areas, the loss of crucial evidence due to deterioration and lapse of time between the crime and liberation when investigations can begin, and adapting the criminal justice system to be able to process and prosecute international atrocity crimes.

The Ukrainian government reported having strengthened its system of regional prosecutors by establishing mobile investigation units, has expanded forensic expertise and testing facilities, and is upgrading technology and evidence-gathering techniques.
During her seven-day visit to Ukraine, the Special Rapporteur also visited different places and facilities and inspected the conditions of treatment of Russian prisoners of war and those accused of conflict-related crimes.

“I found that sincere efforts have been made by the Ukrainian authorities to treat Russian prisoners of war respectfully. The barrack-style facilities I visited were hygienic and orderly. Prisoners were being well fed, were receiving medical attention for their battlefield injuries, were able to practice their religion and had paid work and recreational facilities,” Edwards said.

The Special Rapporteur met with senior government officials, members of the Supreme Court, all the services involved in investigating and prosecuting crimes of torture, the Coordination Headquarters on the Treatment of Prisoners of War, and the Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) and National Preventive Mechanism. She had also met with representatives of the diplomatic community, the United Nations, and civil society organisations. She conducted a range of interviews with persons deprived of their liberty, as well as victims and survivors.

The Special Rapporteur will present a report on the visit to the United Nations Human Rights Council in March 2024.


Dr. Alice Jill Edwards, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, is part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council's independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent of any government or organisation and serve in their individual capacity.

https://ukraine.un.org/en/245333-russia%E2%80%99s-war-ukraine-synonymous-torture-un-expert

[Uncle Sparky]

Oooo... I never thought of that!
Berz - Texas school librarians were behind JFK's assassination! Tell the world!!!

[N35t0r]

"Controlled the buildings" means nothing. The Texas schoolbook depository was not responsible for Oswald right? Why would you assume the buildings abused by the snipers would be buildings that the sniper's handlers (whom it's safe to say would like to remain anonymous) would control the security of? It would seem a lot more prudent to use a third party's building. Preferably a third party suspected of not being focused on security and if the third party was unlikely to be spooked into increasing security in response to the ongoing protests then so much the better.

Tell me about the hole that I maybe dug too deep.

Having explained all that I'm still curious about which buildings the protest organizers controlled that were used by the snipers and what your sources were

You didn't watch that YouTube video?

Also, it's not something that western media reported on, so it must be right. Except for the parts where they did, which are 100% true.

[N35t0r]

The only ones who can decide to end this war are the Russians and the Ukrainians. Unfortunately, the Russians seem convinced that they can outlast western support for Ukraine.

Ukraine seems decided to not surrender to a country which has a history of forced deportation and genocide against them, which invaded and annexed part of their country less than ten years ago, which has been sending weapons and soldiers to foment an internal war ever since then, before that had been constantly meddling in their internal affairs , to the point of poisoning a former pro-west presidential candidate, and which has ever since the war started been bombing civilian areas almost more than military targets.

Gee, I can't imagine why popular support for continuing the war among Ukrainians is high.

[Geronimo]

It means they controlled the buildings where the weapons were kept and used during the massacre. Maybe you dug that hole too deep.

"Controlled the buildings" means nothing. The Texas schoolbook depository was not responsible for Oswald right? Why would you assume the buildings abused by the snipers would be buildings that the sniper's handlers (whom it's safe to say would like to remain anonymous) would control the security of? It would seem a lot more prudent to use a third party's building. Preferably a third party suspected of not being focused on security and if the third party was unlikely to be spooked into increasing security in response to the ongoing protests then so much the better.

Tell me about the hole that I maybe dug too deep.

Having explained all that I'm still curious about which buildings the protest organizers controlled that were used by the snipers and what your sources were

[Berzerker]

"In charge of security" means what exactly? Maybe protest organizers weren't particularly qualified or focused on building security at the time and maybe a group of snipers might make the same assumption when selecting their staging areas?

It means they controlled the buildings where the weapons were kept and used during the massacre. Maybe you dug that hole too deep.

[Berzerker]

No, I say they're getting wiped out and we plan on letting it continue

[Geronimo]

The protest organizers weren't being shot by snipers, they were in charge of security for the buildings where the weapons were stashed and later used by snipers. We have video of them setting up for the massacre with eyewitnesses and at least one of the snipers interviewed by the BBC.

"In charge of security" means what exactly? Maybe protest organizers weren't particularly qualified or focused on building security at the time and maybe a group of snipers might make the same assumption when selecting their staging areas?

[N35t0r]

So you say that Ukraine doesn't want to liberate their own country. That's a weird take.

[Berzerker]

https://youtu.be/bUHKa3JNkBQ

Biden pushed Ukraine into launching the counter offensive... The NYT told the world Zelensky is casualty averse

god help us, ghouls run the country

[Berzerker]

"Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022"

Newsweek thinks that was a full scale invasion? The general was talking about eastern Europe which in this context means eastern Ukraine, he said that war will take longer and if it does, Russia will take more of it, not invade Poland or Germany. Looks like a miscommunication, not some admission to conquer Europe.

[Berzerker]

OMG berz. No wonder you can come to all these whacky effed up conclusions. Nowhere does the author of the quoted book ever admit there was a "coup" let alone that "we" "funded the coup". The author plainly says the US funded the "protest organizers". Protestors Berz. You know, the people who were shot at by the snipers that you claim constitute a coup? And you watch videos of people who offer up such quotes as admissions of funding a coup? Really Berz?

The protest organizers weren't being shot by snipers, they were in charge of security for the buildings where the weapons were stashed and later used by snipers. We have video of them setting up for the massacre with eyewitnesses and at least one of the snipers interviewed by the BBC.

[pchang]

It would appear that Russia's ambitions are quite grand.

[pchang]

The smartness lies in their realizing it does not matter what they say, as long as they say something. There will be people who will glom on to anything to help maintain their world view.

[pchang]

When you are in on the Great Conspiracies of the World, you learn to read between the lines!