UN report shows human rights violations persist in eastern Ukraine
Xinhua, June 1, 2015 Adjust font size:
A report issued on Monday by the UN Human Rights Office showed serious human rights violations and abuses are persisting in eastern Ukraine, affecting 5 million people living in the conflict-ridden area.
The report, the 10th of its kind by the UN Human Rights monitoring mission in Ukraine, stated that after the Feb. 12 adoption of the Minsk ceasefire agreement, the shelling has not stopped.
"Civilian casualties from landmines and unexploded ordnance are still considerable," the report said.
According to the report, between mid-April 2014 and May 30, 2015, at least 6,417 people, including at least 626 women and girls, have been killed and 15,962 wounded in the conflict zone of eastern Ukraine.
"This is a conservative estimate and the actual numbers could be considerably higher," the report said.
UN High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein stressed that there were alarming reports of summary executions by armed groups.
"We also have horrific accounts of torture and ill-treatment in detention, both by armed groups and Ukrainian law enforcers," he added.
According to the UN's report, the impact of the conflict on the economic and social rights of civilians continues to be dramatic, since "the interruption of access to basic services is life-threatening and can have a life-long impact on a large portion of the population." Endit