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Downing of Malaysian Plane May Be a ‘War Crime,’ U.N. Rights Official Says Downing of Malaysian Plane May Be a ‘War Crime,’ U.N. Rights Official Says
(35 minutes later)
LONDON — The crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in eastern Ukraine may amount to a war crime, the United Nations said in a statement on Monday that also chronicled a mounting death toll from “extremely alarming” fighting in regions controlled by pro-Moscow separatists. LONDON — The downing of a Malaysia Airlines jetliner in eastern Ukraine may amount to a war crime, a high-ranking United Nations official said Monday in a statement that chronicled a mounting death toll from “extremely alarming” clashes in regions controlled by pro-Moscow separatists and blamed the rebels for imposing a “reign of fear and terror.”
The assessment by Navi Pillay, the United Nations’ top human rights official, added a further dimension to the charged debate over the downing of the Boeing 777-200 that has provoked Western moves to tighten sanctions against Russia. The assessment by Navi Pillay, the United Nations’ top human rights official, added a further dimension to the charged debate over the crash of the Boeing 777-200 that has provoked Western moves to tighten sanctions against Russia.
Ms. Pillay, who is based in Geneva, made her remarks as monitors for the United Nations issued a fourth monthly report on the fighting in eastern Ukraine. The report found that while “casualty figures are hard to gauge reliably,” the best available estimates show that at least 1,129 people have been killed and 3,442 wounded since mid-April. “This violation of international law, given the prevailing circumstances, may amount to a war crime,” Ms. Pillay said.
Referring to the downing of the airliner, she added: “This violation of international law, given the prevailing circumstances, may amount to a war crime.” She did not ascribe blame for the crash. While she did not ascribe blame, she referred to “the horrendous shooting down” of the airplane and warned that “every effort will be made to ensure that anyone committing serious violations of international law, including war crimes, will be brought to justice, no matter who they are.”
The airliner was apparently shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, killing all 298 people aboard. Ukrainian and American officials say a Russian-made surface-to-air missile fired by separatist rebels brought down the jetliner. The Kremlin and the rebels have denied the accusation, blaming Ukraine for the crash. Ms. Pillay, who is based in Geneva, made her remarks as monitors for the United Nations issued a fourth monthly report on the fighting in eastern Ukraine.
The report said that although “casualty figures are hard to gauge reliably,” the best available estimates show that at least 1,129 people have been killed and 3,442 wounded since mid-April. Those figures were partly based on “conservative” estimates by the 39-member United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine and the World Health Organization, the statement said.
In the latest fighting over the weekend, news reports said on Monday, at least eight civilians were killed in the rebel strongholds of Donetsk and Luhansk.
A convoy of 20 cars was said on Monday to be carrying Dutch and Australian police officers to the site of the crash of the Malaysian airliner, where they are hoping to secure the area to permit the recovery of any further bodies and facilitate an international investigation.
The airliner fell from the sky over eastern Ukraine on July 17 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, killing all 298 people aboard. Ukrainian and American officials say a Russian-made surface-to-air missile fired by separatist rebels brought down the jetliner. The Kremlin and the rebels have denied the accusation, blaming Ukraine for the crash.
“The reports of increasingly intense fighting in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions are extremely alarming, with both sides employing heavy weaponry in built-up areas, including artillery, tanks, rockets and missiles,” Ms. Pillay said.“The reports of increasingly intense fighting in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions are extremely alarming, with both sides employing heavy weaponry in built-up areas, including artillery, tanks, rockets and missiles,” Ms. Pillay said.
“Both sides must take great care to prevent more civilians from being killed or injured,” she added. “Already increasing numbers of people are being killed with serious damage to civilian infrastructure, which — depending on circumstances — could amount to violations of international humanitarian law. The fighting must stop.”“Both sides must take great care to prevent more civilians from being killed or injured,” she added. “Already increasing numbers of people are being killed with serious damage to civilian infrastructure, which — depending on circumstances — could amount to violations of international humanitarian law. The fighting must stop.”
The report also noted a sharp increase in human rights abuses in the east of the country, including abductions, detentions and the disappearance and killing of journalists.The report also noted a sharp increase in human rights abuses in the east of the country, including abductions, detentions and the disappearance and killing of journalists.
Apparently referring to the pro-Russian separatists, the statement by Ms. Pillay’s organization quoted the report as saying that “a total breakdown of law and order and a reign of fear and terror have been inflicted by armed groups on the population of eastern Ukraine.”
The groups were held responsible for abducting, detaining, torturing and executing hostages to intimidate the civilian population and “to exercise their power over the population in raw and brutal ways.”
“Well organized and well equipped militarily, these armed groups have intensified their challenge to the government of Ukraine,” the report was quoted as saying. “In response, there has been an acceleration of government security operations during July in the areas still under the control of the armed groups, with heavy fighting located in and around population centres, resulting in loss of life, property and infrastructure and causing thousands to flee.”
The report said more than 100,000 people had fled combat zones and sought refuge in other parts of Ukraine.
Since mid-April, it said, 812 people had been abducted or detained by rebels acting with impunity, leading to “the collapse of the rule of law.”
“Some of those detained by the armed groups are local politicians, public officials and employees of the local coal mining industry; the majority are ordinary citizens, including teachers, journalists, members of the clergy and students,” the report said.
It added that there had been reports of detentions by Ukrainian government forces and “some cases of Ukrainian nationals who allegedly have been taken and are currently detained in the Russian Federation on various charges.”
The report also spoke of alleged executions, saying documents recovered by a journalist after rebels retreated from Slovyansk on July 5 included so-called execution orders signed by the separatists’ commander.