13/05/2022 19:46

Commissioner: Russian occupiers take Popasna residents to Pervomaisk and Stakhanov under the barrel of a machine gun

Russian occupation forces take residents of the captured city of Popasna in the Luhansk region to Pervomaisk and Stakhanov, which are not under the control of the Ukrainian government, under machine gun fire.

Fierce battles for the city lasted for two months.  At present, there are no surviving houses in Popasna, which has been under Russian control since May 8.

At the time of the russian occupation, the city had one and a half thousand civilians who did not want to leave Popasna.

The occupiers are looking for people in shelters and under the barrel of a machine gun they are taking Popasnyans to Pervomaisk and Stakhanov, which have been occupied for 8 years.

Such actions violate Article 49 of the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Civilians (1949) and Article 85 of Additional Protocol № 1 to the Geneva Conventions (1977).  These documents prohibit any movement of persons from the occupied territories.

I call on the UN Commission for Investigation Human Rights Violations during Russia's Military Invasion of Ukraine to take into account these facts of war crimes and human rights violations in Ukraine.