UN Special Rapporteur on torture Alice Jill Edwards, joined by other human rights experts, recently presented a dossier to the Russian Federation documenting allegations of sexual torture against Ukrainian civilians. The cases focus on events in occupied regions such as Kherson, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia, involving four women and six men. These reports reveal a systematic use of torture, capturing only a glimpse of a broader pattern of abuse inflicted by Russian forces. Details of the dossier can be found in the Jurist report.
The alleged methods of torture include electric shocks to detainees’ genitals, beatings, blindfolding, simulated drownings, and mock executions. Edwards highlighted that such acts signify a routine practice of terror in occupied Ukraine, emphasizing that Russia may have disregarded international conventions entirely. The dossier documents further abuses, including arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, denial of medical care, and deaths in detention. One woman remains detained in Russia, leading to urgent calls for her release.
This information adds to the mounting evidence of sexual violence as a weapon of war. Last month, the European Court of Human Rights identified Russia’s grave violations of international humanitarian law in Ukraine, citing rampant use of rape by both Russian troops and armed separatists. The court firmly recognized rape as an act of torture and extreme atrocity.
The concerns follow recent UN warnings about a sharp rise in conflict-related sexual violence globally in 2024, reporting over 4,600 survivors suffering abuses used to achieve military, political, and social objectives. The UN secretary-general reiterated the urgent need for accountability, condemning the use of sexual violence by both state and non-state actors to exert control and dominance.
The reports reflect a distressing narrative that calls for immediate international response and accountability, underscoring the profound and lasting impact of such violations on victims and society as a whole.