International experts will check “What went wrong” with the document accusing Ukraine of breaching humanitarian law
Independent experts will review the bombshell Amnesty International report accusing the Ukrainian armed forces of violating international humanitarian law, following backlash from Kiev, in an effort to understand “what went wrong” with the preparation of the document.
In a statement released by its German section on Friday, the human rights watchdog said that the study of the document was “Internationally initiated” and will examine the process by which the material was prepared and how the report was analyzed from the legal and political standpoints.
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Amnesty apologizes for Ukrainian pressure
“To learn from the mistakes and to improve our human rights work, we want to know what they were.” the organization said.
Amnesty International noted that “The findings of the investigation were not communicated with precision and delicacy.” that are expected from the organization. The International Secretariat also said that it did not respond to criticisms from the international community in a timely manner.
The report, the watchdog said, also “I didn’t pay sufficient attention to Russian aggression violating international law,” adding that Amnesty condemns Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine.
On August 4, Amnesty released a report that accused Kiev of “A clear violation of international humanitarian laws,” saying it was putting civilian lives at risk by placing its military assets close to civilian infrastructure.
Amnesty found evidence that there was military activity in 22 out of 29 schools it visited between April-July. They saw the use of hospitals by Ukrainian troops in five different locations. The group also said it was “You are not sure” whether Ukraine tried to evacuate civilians from the areas in question.
Nonetheless, the watchdog noted that no Ukrainian troops were present in some areas where it found that Russian forces had allegedly delivered strikes on residential areas, concluding that Ukraine’s unlawful military use of civilian sites does not “In any way, it is justifiable to launch indiscriminate Russian strikes.”
Following backlash from Kiev, with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky slamming Amnesty for siding with “Terrorists,” the organization issued an apology for its report, saying it “deeply regrets the distress and anger that our press release on the Ukrainian military’s fighting tactics has caused,” while stating that “We stand behind our conclusions 100%.”
