The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said Thursday that Russia’s military attack on Ukraine “clearly violates international law and puts countless civilian lives at risk,” so “it must stop immediately.”
The high commissioner requested in a statement that the protection of civilians in the current conflict be a priority, “avoiding at all costs the use of explosives in populated areas” and respecting the Geneva Conventions.
“In hostilities, the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution must be fully respected, in particular when taking measures to protect civilians and non-military infrastructure from the effects of confrontation,” he stressed.
He also warned that the conflict is accompanied by “an information war”, so “it is very important to closely monitor and verify information on human rights violations, including civilian casualties and attacks on non-military targets that include critical infrastructure.”
Bachelet echoed reports of attacks near large Ukrainian cities such as Kharkov, Kramatorsk, Odessa, Mariupol and the capital, Kiev: “Civilians from different parts of Ukraine woke up today to the sound of bombing, they fear a further escalation of the conflict and many of them are leaving their homes,” he lamented.
The former Chilean president assured that “States that fail to take all reasonable measures to resolve their international disputes by peaceful means fail in their obligation to protect the right to life.” (I)
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Source: Eluniverso
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