How the Practice of Arbitrary Detention and Enforced Disappearances in the Occupation Has Changed: Analysis of Documented Cases in 2023-2024
Source: Zmina
Author: Boris Petrunok
The purpose of this study is to examine cases of arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and torture of civilians in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine that occurred in 2023–2024. The report pays particular attention to the systematic nature and changes in the character of such violations compared to the period at the start of the large-scale invasion in 2022. It separately analyzes the impact of the institutional consolidation of the occupying authorities on the increased risks to civilians, particularly in the context of politically motivated persecution.
This report is based on an analysis of 23 testimonies from victims and their family members, collected by the ZMINA Human Rights Center through in-depth interviews. The interviews were conducted in accordance with international standards for documenting cases of enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and torture, specifically the recommendations of the Istanbul Protocol (Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment). The methodology also takes into account ZMINA’s practical experience in documentation, which has been ongoing since September 2022.
The report also draws on the results of monitoring open sources regarding cases of arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances of civilians, and violations of the right to a fair trial in the territories of Ukraine occupied after February 24, 2022. Information gathered from open sources was used in this study as a supplementary analytical resource. It allowed us to verify and confirm the conclusions drawn from survey data, as well as to integrate specific facts and circumstances of individual cases into the broader context of systemic persecution practices. Working with open sources involves constant verification and updating of data, which ensures a higher level of reliability and completeness of the study. To this end, ZMINA follows, in particular, the Berkeley Protocol.
The report is available in Ukrainian and English.
Author: Boris Petrunok
The purpose of this study is to examine cases of arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and torture of civilians in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine that occurred in 2023–2024. The report pays particular attention to the systematic nature and changes in the character of such violations compared to the period at the start of the large-scale invasion in 2022. It separately analyzes the impact of the institutional consolidation of the occupying authorities on the increased risks to civilians, particularly in the context of politically motivated persecution.
This report is based on an analysis of 23 testimonies from victims and their family members, collected by the ZMINA Human Rights Center through in-depth interviews. The interviews were conducted in accordance with international standards for documenting cases of enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and torture, specifically the recommendations of the Istanbul Protocol (Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment). The methodology also takes into account ZMINA’s practical experience in documentation, which has been ongoing since September 2022.
The report also draws on the results of monitoring open sources regarding cases of arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances of civilians, and violations of the right to a fair trial in the territories of Ukraine occupied after February 24, 2022. Information gathered from open sources was used in this study as a supplementary analytical resource. It allowed us to verify and confirm the conclusions drawn from survey data, as well as to integrate specific facts and circumstances of individual cases into the broader context of systemic persecution practices. Working with open sources involves constant verification and updating of data, which ensures a higher level of reliability and completeness of the study. To this end, ZMINA follows, in particular, the Berkeley Protocol.
The report is available in Ukrainian and English.
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