Media Home
UN Web TV
UN PhotoUnifeed
OHCHR / UKRAINE HUMAN RIGHTS
STORY: OHCHR / UKRAINE HUMAN RIGHTS
TRT: 04:14
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATS
DATELINE: 25 MARCH 2022, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Med shot, entrance of Palais des Nations
2. Wide shot, briefing room podium
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Matilda Bogner, head of the UN Human Rights monitoring mission in Ukraine:
“Day after day, the death toll and human suffering in cities, towns and villages across Ukraine is increasing. The facts as we’ve been reporting speak for themselves: since Russian armed forces launched their attacks on 24 February, at least 1,035 civilians have been killed and at least 1,650 injured. I say “at least” because we do not yet have the full picture of locations that have seen intense fighting, in particular Mariupol and Volnovakha.”
4. Wide shot, briefing room
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Matilda Bogner, head of the UN Human Rights monitoring mission in Ukraine:
“Military forces have used explosive weapons with wide area effects in or near populated areas – including missiles, heavy artillery shells and rockets as well as airstrikes.”
6. Wide shot, briefing room
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Matilda Bogner, head of the UN Human Rights monitoring mission in Ukraine:
“Private houses, multi-story residential buildings, administrative buildings, medical and education facilities, water stations, electricity systems have all been destroyed on a massive scale, with disastrous effects on civilians and their human rights, including their rights to health, food, water, education and housing.”
8. Wide shot, briefing room podium
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Matilda Bogner, head of the UN Human Rights monitoring mission in Ukraine:
“The extent of civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian objects strongly suggests that the principles of distinction, of proportionality, the rule on feasible precautions and the prohibition of indiscriminate attacks have been violated.”
10. Wide shot, briefing room podium
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Matilda Bogner, head of the UN Human Rights monitoring mission in Ukraine:
“To give you two examples: on 3rd of March, 47 civilians were killed when two schools and several apartment blocks in Chernihiv were destroyed, and all indications are that these were the result of Russian airstrikes.”
12. Wide shot, briefing room screen
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Matilda Bogner, head of the UN Human Rights monitoring mission in Ukraine:
“On 9th of March, Mariupol Hospital No.3 was destroyed and most likely this also was the result of a Russian airstrike. Seventeen civilians, among them children and pregnant women, were injured.”
14. Wide shot briefing room podium
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Matilda Bogner, head of the UN Human Rights monitoring mission in Ukraine:
“We are also looking into allegations of indiscriminate shelling by the Ukrainian armed forces in Donetsk and in other territory controlled by the self-proclaimed ‘republics’.”
16. Med shot, cameraman screen
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Matilda Bogner, head of the UN Human Rights monitoring mission in Ukraine:
“These attacks cause immeasurable human suffering and may amount to war crimes. And they must stop.”
18. Wide shot, briefing room podium
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Matilda Bogner, head of the UN Human Rights monitoring mission in Ukraine:
“Since 24 February, we have received allegations of Russian forces shooting at and killing civilians in cars during evacuations, without taking feasible precautions or giving effective advance warning.”
20. Wide shot, briefing room podium journalist
21. SOUNDBITE (English) Matilda Bogner, head of the UN Human Rights monitoring mission in Ukraine:
“This past month has highlighted the absolutely crucial role of journalists in getting the news out in such difficult and dangerous circumstances. But as we have seen, as hostilities intensify, journalists and media workers are facing increasing dangers in their work. So far, seven journalists and media workers have been killed in Ukraine since 24 February, and 12 have come under armed attack, with six of them injured. At least one journalist is missing, his last known location was in an area of active hostilities.”
22. Wide shot, participant
23. SOUNDBITE (English) Matilda Bogner, head of the UN Human Rights monitoring mission in Ukraine:
“We are deeply concerned about the plight of people who were already in vulnerable situations before the military attack. People with disabilities have struggled to get to bomb shelters or other safe areas.”
24. Med shot, participant
25. SOUNDBITE (English) Matilda Bogner, head of the UN Human Rights monitoring mission in Ukraine:
“Long-term care facilities for people with disabilities and older people in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Luhansk regions face an appalling humanitarian situation. Amid the fighting and the lack of food, water, heating, electricity, and medication, residents of such facilities are all the more vulnerable as they depend on others for their care and support.”
26. Med shot, participant
At the bi-weekly press briefing on Friday (25 Mar), Matilda Bogner, head of the UN Human Rights monitoring mission in Ukraine, briefed journalists on the violations perpetrated in the past month in Ukraine.
Bogner stated, “Day after day, the death toll and human suffering in cities, towns and villages across Ukraine is increasing. The facts speak for themselves: since Russian armed forces launched their attacks on 24 February, at least 1,035 civilians have been killed and at least 1,650 injured. I say “at least” because we do not yet have the full picture from locations that have seen intense fighting, in particular Mariupol and Volnovakha.”
“Military forces have used explosive weapons with wide area effects in or near populated areas – including missiles, heavy artillery shells and rockets as well as airstrikes,” she added.
Detailing that “Private houses, multi-story residential buildings, administrative buildings, medical and education facilities, water stations and electricity systems have all been destroyed on a massive scale, with disastrous effects on civilians and their human rights, including their rights to health, food, water, education and housing,” Bogner said, “the extent of civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian objects strongly suggests that the principles of distinction, of proportionality, the rule on feasible precautions and the prohibition of indiscriminate attacks have been violated.”
She added, “To give you two examples: on 3 March, 47 civilians were killed when two schools and several apartment blocks in Chernihiv were destroyed, and all indications are that these were the result of Russian airstrikes.”
“On 9 March, Mariupol Hospital No.3 was destroyed and most likely this also was the result of a Russian airstrike. Seventeen civilians, among them children and pregnant women, were injured,” Bogner added.
“One injured woman was helped to deliver by Caesarean section soon after the attack, but neither she nor her baby survived. The doctors operated on them by candlelight. We are also looking into allegations of indiscriminate shelling by the Ukrainian armed forces in Donetsk and in other territory controlled by the self-proclaimed ‘republics’. These attacks, cause immeasurable human suffering and may amount to war crimes. And they must stop,” Bogner said.
She continued, “Since 24 February, we have received allegations of Russian forces shooting at and killing civilians in cars during evacuations, without taking feasible precautions or giving effective advance warning.”
The UN Human Rights office is also following up on other allegations that Russian forces have killed civilians, including during peaceful assemblies. They received two allegations of killing in Government controlled territory of civilians due to their alleged affiliation with Russian forces or support of pro-Russian views.
The UN Human Rights office has 22 cases of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance of local officials in regions under the control of Russian forces, 13 of whom have been subsequently released. We have also documented the arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance of fifteen journalists and civil society activists who vocally opposed the invasion in Kyiv, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions.
The UN Human Rights office is currently trying to verify reports that five of the journalists and three of the activists were subsequently released. The whereabouts of the other individuals remain unknown.
The Office is also concerned by videos depicting prisoners of war being interrogated after their capture by both Ukrainian and Russian forces. Prisoners of war must be treated humanely, not subjected to acts of violence and protected against insults and public curiosity.
Bogner stated, “this past month has highlighted the absolutely crucial role of journalists in getting the news out in such difficult and dangerous circumstances. But as we have seen, as hostilities intensify, journalists and media workers are facing increasing dangers in their work. So far, 7 journalists and media workers have been killed in Ukraine since 24 February, and 12 have come under armed attack, with six of them injured. At least one journalist is missing, his last known location was in an area of active hostilities.”
“We are deeply concerned about the plight of people who were already in vulnerable situations before the military attack. People with disabilities have struggled to get to bomb shelters or other safe areas,” she said.
“Long-term care facilities for people with disabilities and older people in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Luhansk regions face an appalling humanitarian situation. Amid the fighting and the lack of food, water, heating, electricity, and medication, residents of such facilities are all the more vulnerable as they depend on others for their care and support,” Bogner added.
Bogner called on all parties to ensure safe corridors for the evacuation of civilians from dangerous areas and to allow the timely delivery of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population across the country.
Download
There is no media available to download.
