The Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights (JBI) is alarmed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which poses an existential challenge to the rules-based global order and can be seen as an attack on democracy itself. The high number of reported civilian casualties, the massive exodus of refugees and internal displacement that has been triggered by the brutal Russian military campaign, and reports of serious human rights violations committed by Russian forces in Ukrainian territory they now control are deeply concerning. As detailed in JBI's new statement, the reported violations include but are not limited to abductions and killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, forced displacement, and torture and other ill-treatment of public officials, journalists, aid workers and Ukrainians protesting against Russia's actions. JBI's statement also notes reports that Russian officials have committed serious rights violations against their own citizens in the weeks since the invasion began, including large-scale detention of protesters and censorship aimed at preventing and punishing any criticism of the military campaign.
JBI's statement reviews the actions that governments have taken individually and at international bodies to respond to Russia's invasion and violations and calls for a more robust response. JBI calls on governments to continue their efforts to demand that Russia cease its aggression, withdraw from Ukraine, and respect its human rights obligations. It calls for governments to take measures to ensure that Ukrainian people fleeing the crisis receive the support and protection they require. It calls on governments to ensure that Russia's leaders face meaningful consequences for the violations they have committed, including at the UN and through strengthened sanctions. It calls on governments to support and strengthen the visibility of the work of the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which has maintained an in-country monitoring mission in Ukraine throughout the recent hostilities. It calls on UN leaders and governments to ensure that concerns for human rights protection and accountability are integrated into every mechanism established to coordinate the global response to this crisis. The full statement is available here.