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• Human Rights Abuses in Russian-occupied Crimea

Mass prosecutions and real sentences for pro-Ukrainian ‘thought crime’ in Russian-occupied Crimea

While Russian politicians and propagandists public incite to genocide against the Ukrainian people, Ukrainians in Crimea are increasingly hunted down for comments in support of Ukraine on social media

• Voices of war

Children of war gave birth to children — about poetry in front-line Kharkiv

Natalka Marynchak is a poet and host of the radio program “Nakipelo [Boiled over]”. She lives in Kharkiv near the front. We talk with her about the role of poetry during the war, various ways of documenting and reliving a terrible experience, as well as the importance of mental health.

• Human Rights Abuses in Russian-occupied Crimea

Open war against Crimean Tatars began long before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine

Russia resorted to a new level of savagery and lawlessness in September 2021, with two young Crimean Tatars, Asan and Aziz Akhtemov, savagely tortured, and imprisoned to this day

• War crimes

New ban on Internet searches and attempts to bypass Russia’s information blockade in occupied Ukraine

Russia is systematically creating an atmosphere of fear on occupied territory, with the denunciations and self-censorship encouraged by the new legislation serving to deepen the information vacuum and strengthen control

• War crimes

“Travesty of justice” condemned as second Melitopol journalist gets 15-year sentence for reporting the truth about Russian occupation

Reporters without Borders are not alone in seeing the horrific sentences and targeting of pro-Ukrainian Telegram channels as aimed at criminalizing independent journalism and terrorizing the population

• War crimes

Melitopol journalist abducted, tortured and sentenced to 16 years for pro-Ukrainian Telegram channel

The abduction of courageous young Ukrainians and Russia's clear intention to sentence them all to long terms of imprisonment are clearly about crushing independent sources of information and terrorising the population

• War crimes

41 days in the dark

Oleksii, a resident of Balakliya, a volunteer and employee of the State Emergency Service, helped military and civilians during the Russian occupation, for which he was imprisoned and subjected to cruel torment in a torture chamber. After 41 days of captivity, where he was beaten, tortured with electricity, and mock executions, he survived, but still has not received the official status of a victim of armed aggression.

• War crimes

Russians force young Ukrainian to surrender by holding a gun to his mother’s head

Artur Daveglis was abducted three years ago and savagely tortured, before the Russians came up with grotesque charges and a 10 year sentence

• Freedom of conscience and religion   • War crimes

First criminal charges and imprisonment for studying the Bible in Russian-occupied Donbas

While next to nothing is known about this latest victim of Russian persecution on occupied territory, the case is disturbing as it is likely to be Russia's test run of religious persecution, with more arrests almost certain to follow

• Against torture and ill-treatment   • War crimes

Russia confirms torture is state policy through withdrawal from vital European Convention

Russia’s withdrawal from a Convention against Torture which it stopped complying with even minimally in 2022 will not absolve it from liability for its violations, but it is a telling statement

• War crimes

Women increasingly targeted in huge sentences on ‘spying / treason’ charges in Russian-occupied Luhansk region

Even if the victims are not physically tortured, it is near certain that they were abducted, held incommunicado and not given access to independent lawyers before guaranteed 'convictions' and huge sentences on charges of surreal cynicism

• Children’s rights   • War crimes

War and ‘Russian world’ propaganda instead of learning foreign languages in schools in occupied Ukraine

Russia has already knocked out ‘defence of rights and liberties’, other ‘destructive western ideology’ and is seeking to brainwash children in occupied Ukraine that they should be ready to fight and die for Russia