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United Nations human rights experts have formally accused Russian forces of engaging in systematic sexual torture against civilians in occupied regions of Ukraine. The allegations were presented in a dossier delivered to the Russian Federation on Thursday by UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Alice Jill Edwards, and her colleagues.
The report documents the abuse of ten Ukrainian civilians—four women and six men—in Kherson, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia. Victims were subjected to electric shocks to the genitals, beatings, blindfolding, simulated drownings, and mock executions. The experts described the sexual assaults, including rape and threats of rape, as part of a standardized pattern of cruelty.
“These separate allegations… are truly grisly,” Edwards stated, emphasizing that the documented cases likely represent only a fraction of a broader, systematic practice. She added, “Russia appears to have abandoned the international rulebook entirely.”
The dossier also details arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, denial of medical care, and deaths in detention. One female victim remains in Russian custody, prompting calls for her immediate release.
These findings add to mounting evidence of sexual violence being used as a weapon of war. Last month, the European Court of Human Rights found Russia in violation of international humanitarian law, citing widespread rape by Russian troops and affiliated separatists. The court affirmed that such acts constitute torture.
The report coincides with a broader UN warning of a global surge in conflict-related sexual violence, with over 4,600 survivors documented in 2024. The UN Secretary-General urged all parties to end the use of sexual violence as a tool of war, repression, and territorial control.
Excerpts from jurist.org article by Siddhi Joshi | National U. of Study and Research in Law, IN
