Monitoring Desk: The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) fears that lives of 4.4 million people are at risk as harsh winter has engulf conflict zone of Eastern Ukraine
The OHCHR Report which was released on December 12, 2017 indicated that armed hostilities are (were) on the rise and increased fighting has resulted in more deaths and damages to critical water supplying and storage system in conflict zone.
Report says there are daily ceasefire violations and harsh winter has further aggravated a humanitarian situation on both sides of the contact line.
Report indicates that hostilities have never really stopped in conflict zone where millions of people are living almost without any proper civic facilities.
The report provides details of 20 individual cases of killings, deprivation of liberty, enforced disappearances, torture, and conflict-related sexual violence committed on both sides of the contact line.
The report condemns interference with the judiciary in conflict-related cases, giving four emblematic examples, and underlying that substantial pressure was exerted on judges in numerous cases.
Report claims that Justice is yet to be achieved in high profile cases such as the killing of protesters at Maidan and the May 2, 2014 violence in Odesa. In Maidan cases, a total of 380 persons are under investigation for committing crimes against protesters. In Odesa, 19 persons were acquitted of disturbances in the city centre. In both cases, no one has been held responsible for major outbreaks of violence and the resulting deaths.
It is pertinent to mention that an average of 37,000 persons are crossing contact line daily and overly complicated checking procedures are messing their lives further miserable.
The Report indicates that UN Human Rights Office does not have access to Crimea but receiving credible information about cases of arbitrary searches and arrests, torture, and infringements on fundamental freedoms which disproportionately affected Crimean Tatars. Further, the UN Human Rights Office underlines that the Russian Federation, as Occupying Power, fails to respect the Ukrainian laws which were in place in Crimea, in violation of international humanitarian law.
