New York based Human Rights Watch has urged the Ukrainian authorities to respect the rights of the prisoners of war and stop posting videos of captured Russian soldiers on social media. “Ukrainian authorities should stop posting on social media and messaging apps videos of captured Russian soldiers that expose them to public curiosity, in particular those that show them being humiliated or intimidated,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement posted on its website on Wednesday.
“Such treatment of prisoners of war, or POWs, violates protections under the Geneva Conventions intended to ensure dignified treatment of captured combatants on all sides,” it stressed.
On March 10, Human Rights Watch sent letters to the Ukrainian Security Service and the Interior Ministry, “to express concern about the state-run social media channels and website that were posting the images and videos and asked what steps the authorities will take to ensure that POWs are treated in compliance with the Geneva Conventions”. “As of March 16, Human Rights Watch was still awaiting a reply,” it stressed.
“Social media platforms should also clarify whether and how videos of POWs that are incompatible with the Geneva Conventions fall under their existing policies and, if necessary, develop new policies to identify and suppress the spread of such content,” Human Rights Watch added.
On Tuesday, Russian human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova said that she was ready to participate in any format in work to return the Russian captives from Ukraine. She said that appeals from their relatives indicated that they were intimidated and blackmailed. “In particular, they are forced to take part in anti-Russian rallies under the threat of being beaten or killed,” Moskalkova said.
Early in March, she turned to the International Committee of the Red Cross and its offices in Ukraine with the request to visit Russian POWs and render necessary assistance. Prior to that, the ombudsperson said that she had information about incidents of cruel and inhumane treatment of Russian servicemen captured in Ukraine.
