During their mission from 2 to 6 November, three members of the Human Rights Council-mandated Commission of Inquiry met with survivors, families of victims, and human rights groups in Kyiv.
“People spoke of unimaginable suffering – homes destroyed, loved ones killed, and lives upended,” said chairperson Erik Møse.
The investigators, who are not UN staff and receive no salary for their work, documented ongoing violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, largely by Russian forces and officials, including indiscriminate attacks, torture, deportations, and sexual violence. They concluded these actions amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The team also looked into abuses by Ukrainian forces, such as arbitrary detention and ill-treatment of alleged collaborators, though limited access hindered full inquiries.
Justice Must Prevail
After hearing testimonies from victims, the investigators reiterated their call for accountability and reparations. “Justice must honor those whose lives were deliberately cut short,” they stated, emphasizing the need for mental health and psychosocial support for survivors.
The visit follows the investigators’ latest report to the UN General Assembly, detailing Russia’s coordinated efforts to expel Ukrainian civilians from occupied zones and forcibly transfer them elsewhere.
UN Rights Body Regrets US Withdrawal from Human Rights Review
The UN Human Rights Council has expressed regret over the United States’ decision to skip a key review of its human rights record, scheduled for this week in Geneva.
The review, the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), is a process where all UN Member States have their human rights performance evaluated by their peers.
The US was set to appear before the Council’s Working Group on Friday but declined – the first time the country has refused to partake in its review.
Postponed
Council members urged Washington to resume cooperation with the UPR and announced plans to reschedule the review for 2026, though it could happen sooner if the US re-engages.
This follows the Trump administration’s recent disengagement from the Human Rights Council itself, although all UN Member States not among the 47 Council members remain observers, able to represent themselves during proceedings.
The previous US withdrawal, in 2018 under the first Trump administration, did not prevent participation in its 2020 UPR, making this year’s absence unprecedented.
Documents for the planned review, including reports by UN experts and civil society groups, remain available online. The US did not submit its national report by the deadline.
The council stated it would persist in urging the US to return to the process, emphasizing that the UPR system depends on equal participation by all 193 UN Member States.
Orlando Bloom Highlights Plight of Myanmar’s Rohingya
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Orlando Bloom visited Bangladesh this week to observe the impact of severe aid cuts on children living in camps in Cox’s Bazar.
The actor met some of the 500,000 children in the vast camp and their families.
They are “100 percent dependent on aid,” but it is diminishing, he warned.
At risk from funding cuts are education, health, protection, and survival for people in the camps, primarily ethnic Rohingya who fled persecution in neighboring Myanmar, most following a systematic military operation in August 2017.
“It’s a very transient environment, with so many people coming and going,” observed the British actor and UNICEF champion.
Precarious and Unstable
“We met a mother who just arrived, feeling she had to flee the conflict. It felt very unstable and unsafe. So, this is truly a lifeline for these families, and without support, they have nothing.”
In June, UNICEF had to temporarily close most schools in Cox’s Bazar due to funding shortages, affecting nearly 150,000 children.
Although children of all ages recently returned to class after a fundraising push, an imminent funding shortfall in early 2026 threatens to close all schools again, potentially impacting more than 300,000 children.
Leave a Reply