Amnesty International finds evidence of extrajudicial executions of civilians in Donbass

World October 20, 2014, 19:27

The evidence strongly implicates that Kiev-controlled forces committed these crimes, the Amnesty International said in its report

LONDON, October 20. /TASS/. A delegation dispatched by Amnesty International to the area of the east Ukrainian city of Donetsk, where the forces loyal to the Kiev government have been conducting a military operation since mid-April, has found strong evidence of extra-judicial executions of “four men buried into graves near the village of Komunar,” the organization said in a report on Monday.

The evidence strongly implicates that Kiev-controlled forces committed these crimes, it said.

The document quoted John Dalhuisen, Amnesty’s Europe and Central Asia Director mentioning previous reports by the Russian authorities on mass murders in the area. He said that “the reality behind Russian claims of mass graves is grizzly enough” and demanded a thorough investigation.

“Five bodies buried in a single grave nearby were revealed to belong to separatist fighters,” document said, referring to the fighters of east Ukrainian self-defense forces.

John Dalhuisen noted the complicated character of the current picture on the spot, saying, “It is likely that many (cases of possible execution of civilians) have not yet been exposed and that others have been deliberately misrecorded.”

Along with it, the report traditionally accused the Russian mass media of “hugely exaggerating” what it calls “the more shocking cases.” “Both sides should concentrate on investigating and eliminating execution-style killings by forces they control,” Dalhuisen said.

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