After annexing Kherson, Russia tortured Ukrainian civilians at 20 centers, claims rights group, Watch video

Kherson: A group of Ukrainian and international attorneys led by a UK barrister has accused Russia of allegedly setting up state-sponsored torture centres in Kherson, a Ukrainian city situated in the south of the country, after annexing it for nearly nine months before Ukraine reclaimed it. The claim has been made on the basis of evidence collected by the lawyers’ group after examining few of the 20 torture centres found. As per reports, Russia ruled Kherson from 2 March of last year until 11 November, when Ukrainian forces took possession. The lawyers’ group called Mobile Justice Team, said on Thursday they had examined 20 torture chambers in Kherson and determined they were part of a “calculated plan to terrorise, subjugate and eliminate Ukrainian resistance and destroy Ukrainian identity”. Plans used by Vladimir Putin’s occupying forces to set up, run, and fund the 20 torture facilities in Kherson are among the evidence gathered by Ukrainian investigators and examined by the Mobile Justice Team. The team’s leader, British barrister Wayne Jordash, said, “The mass torture chambers, funded by the Russian state, are not random but rather part of a carefully thought-out and funded blueprint with a clear goal to eliminate Ukrainian national and cultural identity. The attorneys claim that more than 400 individuals have disappeared from Kherson and that more than 1,000 survivors have provided evidence. The centres, according to the lawyers, were operated by the Russian security services, the FSB, as well as the Russian prison service and local allies, and were created to repress, rehabilitate, or kill Ukrainian civil leaders and common dissenters.

Inside the #Kherson torture chamber.
In the local pre-trial detention center, #Ukrainians found a room in which people were held and tortured during the #Russian occupation. 🧵⬇️#RussiaIsATerroristState #StandWithUkraine #RussiaWarCrimes #RussiaUkraineWar #RussianWarCrimes pic.twitter.com/rhJTpVuGvs

— ✙ Albina Fella ✙ 🇺🇦🇬🇧🇫🇷🇸🇪🇩🇪🇵🇱🇨🇦🇦🇺 (@albafella1) November 17, 2022

Activists, journalists, government employees, teachers, and anyone else with ties to the Ukrainian state or civic society were among the prisoners. Other victims claimed they were detained after being halted at random on the street and accused of having “pro-Ukrainian” content on their phones. The inmates, both male and female, endured waterboarding, electric shock torture, and physical beatings. According to the team, they were made to memorise and repeat songs, poems, and slogans that supported Russia. Over 400 individuals have vanished, but it’s unclear if they were killed during the occupation or taken to Russia. “Putin’s strategy is to occupy Ukraine, obliterate Ukrainian identity, and subject the Ukrainian people to Russian rule. As more and more proof of war crimes emerges and as our investigations advance, this plan is becoming more obvious, according to Jordash. In order to assist the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office in its investigation and prosecution of accused Russian war criminals, he established the Mobile Justice Team in May. It is supported by the US State Department, the EU, and the UK Foreign Office and seeks to strengthen Ukraine’s national prosecution service through mentoring and training. Although Ukraine had 8,000 attorneys before the invasion, none of them were war crimes experts. According to the team, some of the torture sites they looked at were converted into detention facilities, and one was located in the basement of an office building. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.