UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
56th Session
Item 10: Interactive Dialogue on oral presentation of the High Commissioner on Ukraine and interim report of the Secretary General on human rights in Crimea
9 July 2024
Joint statement on behalf of the GoF AAU
Delivered by Denmark
Mr. President,
I am pleased to deliver this statement on behalf of the 'Group of Friends of Accountability following the aggression against Ukraine'.
We condemn Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine, including the latest wave of strikes targeting hospitals, killing dozens of civilians. A war that causes immense human suffering and violates international law, including the UN Charter.
Russia’s depravity in its treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war is well-documented in the OHCHR’s latest report. We are appalled by the report’s evidence of Russia’s use of torture, including sexual and gender-based violence, against Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees. We call on all parties to ensure that survivors receive assistance, including in the form of psychosocial support, rehabilitation measures and reparations.
We call for the immediate and unconditional release of the Ukrainian OSCE Special Monitoring staff who Russia has been unjustly detaining for more than 800 days, despite repeated calls for their release.
Mr. President,
Russia shows no intention of holding perpetrators to account. On March 23rd, President Putin signed into force a new law expanding the exemption from criminal accountability for members of Russia’s armed forces, creating a climate of impunity. Dignity and justice must be restored for the countless victims of Russia’s aggression and those responsible must be held to account
We welcome the work of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, the reporting of the Commission of Inquiry, and UN Special Procedures mandate holders, the investigations by the International Criminal Court, the operationalization of both the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression and the Register of Damage for Ukraine, and the work of the Core Group towards a tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
High Commissioner,
What can we do to support the investigation and documentation of cases of transferred or deported children and torture against POWs and civilian prisoners, to help ensure future accountability for its perpetrators?
I thank you.
List of members of the Group of Friends of Accountability following the Aggression against Ukraine.
1. Albania
2. Australia
3. Austria
4. Belgium
5. Bosnia-Herzegovina
6. Bulgaria
7. Canada
8. Colombia
9. Croatia
10. Cyprus
11. Czech Republic
12. Denmark
13. Estonia
14. Finland
15. France
16. Georgia
17. Germany
18. Greece
19. Guatemala
20. Iceland
21. Ireland
22. Italy
23. Japan
24. Latvia
25. Liechtenstein
26. Lithuania
27. Luxembourg
28. Malta
29. Republic of the Marshall Islands
30. Moldova
31. Montenegro
32. Kingdom of the Netherlands
33. New Zealand
34. North Macedonia
35. Norway
36. Poland
37. Portugal
38. Republic of Korea
39. Romania
40. Slovakia
41. Slovenia
42. Spain
43. Sweden
44. Switzerland
45. Ukraine
46. United Kingdom
47. United States
48. EU Delegation
