International

The World Organization Against Torture denounces possible crimes against humanity in Russia against Ukrainian civilians

Arbitrary arrests, torture, enforced disappearances, sexual violence and other abuses by Russian forces against civilians in Ukrainian territories can constitute crimes against humanity, denounces a report published by the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT).

The documentation of these practices between February and October 2022 in more than 20 detention centers by the OMCT together with the Ukrainian NGOs Media Initiative for Human Rights and the ZMINA Human Rights Center shows that “they are not isolated incidents” and are part of a “deliberate policy of torture.”

“These crimes reach the threshold of torture and persecution of a large political group, so they can constitute crimes against humanity,” the OMCT advisor for Europe and Central Asia, Maryia Kvitsinskaya, said in a statement.

The investigation presented on Thursday is based on interviews with victims and witnesses of 63 cases – 38 of torture and 25 of other ill-treatment – in the Ukrainian regions of Kiev, Chernigov, Zaporiyia, Donetsk, Kharkov and Kherson.

The OMCT denounces that after the control of some territories of these regions in 2022, the Russian army and special services began to persecute a large group of civilians who were loyal to Ukraine, opposed the occupation and had a negative attitude towards Russian troops, politicians or ideology.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

The document speaks in this sense of “common signals” that were sought by the Russian military during the inspection procedures to identify Ukrainian citizens as “suspispious.”

They included, for example, the consumption of Ukrainian news or music, contact with relatives or acquaintances who served the country’s troops, donations in favor of the Army or photos with the national flag of Ukraine, the United States or the European Union, among others.

Those responsible for the report also warn that, as the invasion progressed, the Russian Army began to interpret these signs more broadly, targeting an increasing group of civilians.

This meant that, in addition to the people who were against the Russian occupation, many others were wrongly accused, representing 18 of the 38 cases documented in the report (48%).

In addition, among the tortured people interviewed there were also individuals from groups identified as vulnerable, including three women, five elderly people or a person with serious chronic diseases.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

According to the report, all documented detention conditions violated the rules of international humanitarian law and human rights, with 28 of the 38 cases (73%) in which the conditions were “so deficient that they were equivalent to torture.”

Most of the victims were confined in cells in overcrowded conditions, in which there was hardly any room to sleep, often without natural light and located in very cold facilities in winter and very hot in summer.

In addition, in all the documented cases that are described as torture in this report, the victims were simultaneously subjected to multiple forms of physical and psychological abuse.

The use of sexual violence was also reported in seven of the 38 documented cases (18%), ranging from stabbing to the use of paralyzing pistols in the genital area to forced nudity and threats, castration or rape.

“Many interviewees described this experience as the worst of their lives, recounting the constant cries of horror of other detainees,” the head of the Documentation department of the Ukrainian NGO Human Rights Center ZMINA, Yelyzaveta Sokurenko, added in the statement.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

The report demands in its conclusions section that the Russian authorities take immediate measures to put an end to these human rights violations.

They also ask for the intervention of Ukraine, the International Criminal Court and the international community to investigate the cases of torture and reported ill-treatment.

Finally, it is requested that those responsible for these abuses be held accountable, that support services be provided to victims and that their access to justice be guaranteed through international legal mechanisms.

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”