The Russian army regularly tortured Ukrainians in the city of Izium. This reports Human Rights Watch (HRW) on a published Wednesday report. Survivors told the human rights organization that they were threatened with gunfire and severely beaten, among other things.
The report mentions torture in the eastern city of Izium. This city was occupied by the Russians for six months. At the beginning of September, the Russian occupation ended.
The human rights organization has spoken to more than 100 people in Izium since the end of September. Almost everyone said they had friends or relatives who had been tortured by the Russians. Fifteen people, including one woman, said they were themselves tortured. Some tortured men are said to have committed suicide within days of their release.
Survivors tell HRW that they were severely beaten. They say, for example, that they received electric shocks and had to stay in so-called stress positions for a long time. In such a position, much of the body weight rests on only two muscles. They also denounced waterboarding, a notorious torture technique that gives the victim the feeling of drowning.
The detainees were held for 14 days in places specifically designated for torture. Seven of these places are said to have been established in the city.
The soldiers threatened to rape the woman
The tortured woman tells HRW that Russian soldiers threatened to rape her. The Washington Post wrote earlier this month about another woman who said she was raped by the Russians. She would be held in the same room at another time.
According to HRW, these are not accidents. “The brutal violence and abuse in Izium were not random incidents,” said crisis researcher Belkis Willie. “Several victims shared credible statements about similar torture experiences in facilities owned by Russian troops. This makes it clear that this treatment was part of their policy and plan,” Willie said.
HRW says international and national medical institutions urgently need to welcome victims of torture.
It is not the first time that HRW has denounced torture by the Russian military. The organization previously reported that Russians committed torture and summary executions in Kiev and Chernihiv.
