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Torture tales in Ukraine

The strange silence over the crisis in Ukraine has made things more horrible. Though the West had been voicing their concern for long on the unrest in the eastern regions of Ukraine, nothing substantial has come out of it.

The latest Amnesty report on the atrocities in the ill-fated areas reveals the neglect and collapse of state-centric authority. The London-based human rights organisation says that number of people being abducted is on the rise, and little is known of their fate thereafter. Similarly, there are graphic and compelling evidences of torture both by pro-government and ethnic Russians rebelling against Kiev’s rule.

The situation has compounded since Ukraine launched its military offensive to reclaim territories lost to rebels in the east. Since then it is a free-for-all situation wherein gross human rights violations have been reported. This is all because the ceasefire couldn’t work, and the safe passage deal provided by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was met with scepticism. Last but not the least is the lack of enthusiasm on the part of Russia to persuade their brothers-in-arms to give up armed struggle and benefit from the amnesty offer.

As things stand today, the eastern regions are a theater of warfare and it seems genocide is at work in the guise of lingual and ethnic considerations. The most alarming aspect is that protesters and journalists are being targetted and many of them are under detention of various militant outfits. Amnesty’s Deputy Europe and Central Asia Director Denis Krivosheev says that the victims are subjected to stomach-turning beatings and torture. The report findings should be investigated and an action ordered to arrest the culprits. What is needed instantly is to make efforts to secure the release of detainees. Moscow and Kiev should act on the Amnesty report without any reservations.