User:MyMoloboaccount/Abuses by Ukrainian Forces during Donbass Conflict

Reliable sources covering abuses by Ukrainian government and its forces during Donbass conflict

http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/UA/9thOHCHRreportUkraine.pdf

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/ENACARegion/Pages/UAReports.aspx

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/10/azov-far-right-fighters-ukraine-neo-nazis

http://europe.newsweek.com/evidence-war-crimes-committed-ukrainian-nationalist-volunteers-grows-269604

http://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/EUR50/040/2014/en/

https://www.amnesty.org/en/articles/news/2014/09/ukraine-must-stop-ongoing-abuses-and-war-crimes-pro-ukrainian-volunteer-forces/

Strafing and bombing of civilian population
On 2nd June 2014, the Kiev forces launched an air strike against civilians and administration buildings in Luhansk, Eastern Ukraine.

Torture
"On 13 October, the HRMM U interviewed a resident of Debaltseve (Donetsk region) who claimed that when with the armed groups, he was involved in building and guarding checkpoints and roadblocks. On 16 September, he was allegedly detained at home by Ukrainian servicemen of the 25th Territorial Defence Battalion Kyivska Rus ’ and was reportedly kicked repeatedly. He was then taken to the Debaltseve department of the MoIA, where he was allegedly interrogated and  beaten  for  three  days,  and  urged  to tell  where  weapons,  ammunition  and supporters  of  the ‘Donetsk people’s republic’ were located. He was suffocated with a plastic bag ;he was hanged from an opened door and pulled  by  a rope tied to his  hands on  his  back;  he was also beaten on the head with a rubber hammer. He was threatened tobe taken back to the Kyivska Rus battalion to be shot dead. After two weeks, he was transferred to the Izium department of MoIA, where he was again beaten on his back with wooden sticks for a couple of hours. At the end of September, he was the subject of a detainee exchange"

"On 14 October, the HRMMU interviewed a resident of Krasnoarmiisk (Donetsk region) who claimed  that  he  never  participated  in  armed  hostilities  and  only  manned  an  unarmed  anti-Maidan checkpoint. On 5 August, some  military servicemen pulled  him out of his  car and took him  to  a  location in  Krasnoarmiisk,  where  he  was  y  kept  in a basement.  He was beaten, and death  threats  towards  his  family  were made .  The  servicemen reportedly wore  balaclavas, camouflage,  with  Ukrainian  flags  and  the  inscription Donbas on  their  chevrons.  He  was  later transferred to an official detention  facility after  his detention was sanctioned  by a court. On 17 September, he was put in a cell where 15-25 persons were detained. They were allegedly ordered to crawl to another cell, while on each side of the corridor guards and operatives were standing and  beating  them  with  clubs."

"Amnesty International documented dozens of cases of abuses allegedly committed by members of the Aidar battalion in Novoaidar district, Starobilsk, Severodonetsk, Lysychansk, and Shchastya between late June and late August. Typically, the fighters abducted local men, often businessmen or farmers, whom they accused of collaborating with the separatists and held in makeshift detention facilities before either releasing them or handing them over to the Security Service (SBU). In nearly all cases documented by Amnesty International the victims were subjected to beatings at the moment of capture and/or during interrogations, and either had to pay ransom for their release, or had possessions, including money, cars, telephones, and other valuables seized by the battalion members. Many of the witnesses and victims approached by Amnesty International were reluctant to share details of the incidents, fearing retaliation from Aidar battalion members."

Press freedom
"There have been cases of detention of journalists by Ukrainian forces. On 12 October, the HRMMU interviewed  a  Russian  photographer  of  the New  York  Times,  who  was  reportedly beaten up by servicemen of the Ukrainian army or of the National Guard on 4 October . He and a journalist  for  Deutsche  Presse-Agentur  were  detained  at  a  Ukrainian  checkpoint  in  Mariynka (Donetsk Region)  for taking a picture of a Ukrainian tank. Both journalists were ordered to get out  of  the  car  and  forced  to  lie  on  the  ground  for  half  an hour,  while  their  documents  were checked.  Both  were  beaten."