“The report states that the practice of torture most often had one scenario, which indicates their systematic nature”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
The report states that the practice of using torture most often had one scenario, which testifies to its systematic nature. Former prisoners repeatedly described the same brutal methods designed to intimidate, humiliate, coerce and punish. The commission cites evidence that FSB and Federal Penitentiary Service officers participated in the torture of prisoners in their detention facilities, and that they acted in a coordinated manner and with a clear division of responsibilities during the torture.
In addition to beatings, torture with electric current, hunger and thirst, Russian guards used sexual violence, mainly against male prisoners. Victims described physical pain and injuries with long-term or irreversible consequences, and also emphasized the serious psychological difficulties they faced.
Cases of murders by Russian employees of captured Ukrainians – both prisoners of war and civilians – have also been documented.
The head of the commission, Eric Möse, said: “The evidence we uncovered confirms that the Russian authorities acted as part of a coordinated state policy of torture against Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war and thus committed a crime against humanity.”
The General Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine opened 872 criminal cases on torture. Charges have already been announced against 125 Russian citizens.