Having trouble viewing this email? Click here.
© 2023 Human Rights Watch |
On March 9, 2022, dozens of civilians, including generations of families, were sheltering in the basement of an apartment building at 2 Pershotravneva Street in Izium, eastern Ukraine.
They were entombed in a single attack.
Russian forces struck the building with large, air-delivered munitions, killing at least 44 people. It was among the deadliest attacks for civilians since Russia invaded Ukraine that February.
Our new report, “A Thousand Explosions in My Ears,” uses survivor testimony, multimedia, and 3D modeling of the apartment building to show the devastating effects of the attack.
Human Rights Watch interviewed 21 people from Izium, inspected physical evidence at the scene, analyzed satellite imagery, and took photographs and videos. |
WATCH: Digital Reconstruction Highlights Russian Forces' Deadly Attack in Izium |
Why does the precise documentation of an attack from a year ago matter? Because gathering evidence around potential war crimes is key to delivering justice. Under the laws of war, warring parties must always distinguish between combatants and civilians, and only target military objectives.
The International Criminal Court is investigating the war in Ukraine, and just last week the court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The five-story building struck by Russian forces in March 2022 sits in Izium’s central district, which Ukrainian forces controlled until later that month. Though it was close to the war’s front lines, HRW found no evidence of Ukrainian forces using the building for military purposes. Outside of Izium, little was known about the attack until Ukraine retook control of the area in September.
The munition struck the middle of the building, collapsing five stories onto the basement, and destroying multiple exits. The rubble buried many of the people sheltering there. The attack resulted in a hole at least 15 meters wide.
In addition to detailing the attack, the report tells the story of Mykhailo Yatsentiuk, an electrician who had lived in the building with his wife, Natalia, for three decades, raising three children and six grandchildren. Natalia and six others from his family died in the attack. Yatsentiuk survived.
HRW has documented many attacks and other abuses across Ukraine over the last year that amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity. Yatsentiuk and other survivors of the Izium attack and more, as well as victims’ family members, deserve answers and justice.
|
|
| New legislation adopted by Uganda’s parliament entrenches the country’s criminalization of same-sex conduct, even outrageously calling for the death penalty in certain circumstances. |
|
|
|
|
|
| | Proponents of the 2003 invasion of Iraq spoke of the Iraqi people as helpless victims of a dictatorial regime. Yet the Iraqi people paid the heaviest price of the invasion. |
|
|
|
|
|
| A new report confirms the world is warming at record levels. It also names those responsible for the crisis. |
|
|
|
|
This month marks three years since the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a pandemic. Since then, more than 750 million cases of Covid-19 have been reported, along with more than 6.8 million deaths.
In a new feature, HRW experts discuss the human rights violations related to the pandemic, and what governments and non-state actors, like pharmaceutical companies, should do before the next one strikes. |
Do you know your news? Take our weekly quiz and see how you stack up. |
|
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten