August 10, 2022

International without the Amnesty


International without the Amnesty

“[This report] does not mean that Amnesty International holds Ukrainian forces responsible for violations committed by Russian forces, or that the Ukrainian military is not taking adequate precautions in other parts of the country. We must be very clear: nothing of the actions of the Ukrainian military, which we have documented, in any way justify Russia's violations.” 

                                   –  From a report released by Amnesty International

After publishing controversial findings on the Ukrainian army, the international human rights group Amnesty International released a report apologizing for the harmful effects it caused.

The report about the Ukrainian army was released on August 4, 2022, and detailed how the army had been using schools, homes, and hospitals as bases to deploy equipment and weapons. It was also pointed out that such use of residential areas violates international humanitarian law, because it turns civilian targets into military targets.

The report also went on to emphasize that the use of such residential areas for military purposes in no way justifies Russian aggression. Despite emphasizing Russia as the aggressor, critics of Amnesty International came flooding in. President Zelensky himself expressed distaste towards the report, claiming it shifted the responsibility away from the aggressor.

Even with the continued criticism, the organization still holds to its findings, but has noted that the use of residential buildings for military purposes can be legal if it is no longer being used for civilian purposes.

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