Russia's Battlefield Brutality: Daily Brief

Ever since the Russian army retreated from areas in northern Ukraine, evidence has been collected of possible war crimes in the areas under their occupation. One example is a New York Times investigation into "Bucha's Month of Terror", during the rule of Russian occupation forces. Human Rights Watch has documented several cases of Russian military forces committing laws-of-war violations against civilians in occupied areas of the Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Kyiv regions. These include a case of repeated rape; two cases of summary execution, one of six men, the other of one man; and other cases of unlawful violence and threats against civilians between February 27 and March 14. Soldiers were also implicated in looting civilian property, including food, clothing, and firewood. Those who carried out these abuses are responsible for war crimes. Their commanders, and leaders (including Russian President Vladimir Putin) who knew about these atrocities, but did not act to prevent them from happening, also risk prosecution.

The United States government’s failure to ensure equal and affordable access to insulin violates the right to health for people with diabetes and regularly leads to tragic consequences for many of them, HRW says in a report released today. The 92-page report, 'If I’m Out of Insulin, I’m Going to die', describes the human rights impacts of policies that make essential life-saving medication like insulin unaffordable for many people. We found that exorbitant insulin prices and inadequate health insurance coverage can cause people to pay high out-of-pocket costs for insulin, contributing to dangerous and potentially lethal medicine rationing, forcing people to forgo other basic needs, and disproportionately affecting socially and economically marginalized groups. “People who need insulin shouldn’t have to break the bank just to survive, but in the US they often do,” said Matt McConnell, economic justice and rights researcher at HRW.

The opening of the first trial at the Central African Republic’s Special Criminal Court next week represents significant progress in the difficult effort to see justice for grave crimes committed in the country. HRW has issued a question-and-answer document ahead of the trial. The case involves war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in May 2019 in Koundjili and Lemouna allegedly by the suspects, Issa Sallet Adoum, Ousman Yaouba, and Tahir Mahamat, members of the “3R” rebel group. “The Special Criminal Court’s first trial is a landmark moment for victims in the Central African Republic who have repeatedly called for justice for heinous crimes committed during successive conflicts in the country,” says Esti Tambay, senior International Justice counsel at HRW. “This novel court – which combines international and domestic experience to hold those responsible for grave crimes to account – could be an important justice model for other countries to consider.”

Despite the continued roar of chainsaws clearing the rainforest for soy fields and cattle herds, there’s now a new glimmer of hope for the Brazilian Amazon. Last week, Brazil’s Supreme Court boldly launched a review of seven environmental cases, most involving petitions challenging the highly destructive policies of President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration. 

And make sure you tune in today (10am ET / 14h00 GMT / 16h00 CET) for a Twitter Space conversation on ethnic cleansing in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, with experts from Amnesty International and HRW.