Human rights activists call on international organizations to protect Ukrainians from kidnappings and executions in Russian-occupied territories

The occupiers continue to intimidate the local population, which opposes the Russian invasion.

Public activists and human rights activists call on international organizations to protect Ukrainians from abductions and executions in cities and places under Russian occupation, the ZMINA Center for Human Rights said in a statement.

„ We, the representatives of Ukrainian organizations, appeal to the international community regarding the abductions and executions of Ukrainian activists, human rights defenders, volunteers, journalists, local government officials living in Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Kiev, Luhansk and Kherson regions, which were partially occupied by the Russian army "it is stated in the message.

Activists remind that Russia's war against Ukraine has already resulted in thousands of civilian casualties. As a result of hostilities, part of the settlement came under the temporary control of Russian troops. However, the people are resisting the occupiers, so the intimidation of the local population continues.

Over the past week, there have been arrests of Ukrainian activists, volunteers, journalists and local government officials in Gostomel, Kherson, Berdyansk, Melitopol, Volnovakha, Nova Kakhovka and other Russian-occupied settlements, as well as killings of Ukrainian activists, human rights activists said.

For example, on March 7, it was learned that the Russian army had killed the mayor of Gostomel, Yuri Prilipko, and two other volunteers, Ruslan Karpenko and Ivan Zorya, while distributing humanitarian aid.

At least three people were abducted in Melitopol, including Mayor Ivan Fedorov on March 11th, activist Olga Gaysumova on March 12th and Serhiy Prijma, president of the District Council, on March 13th.

Activist Serhiy Tsygipa disappeared in Nova Kakhovka on March 12, and local journalist Oleh Baturin disappeared that evening in neighboring Kakhovka.

On March 13, the abduction of Mayor Yevgeny Matveyev was reported in the city of Dniprorudny (Zaporizhzhya region).

"There is no official confirmation, but there is reliable evidence that they were detained by the Russian army. There are well-founded suspicions that the

abducted activists and local government officials are being intimidated and tortured," human rights activists said.

In addition, according to MP Dmytro Lubinets, the Russian army "arrested" more than 20 Ukrainian activists in Volnovakha. Also, according to him, all these activists were on the lists published by numerous Western media in February - lists of activists who will be "killed or sent to camps" after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

On March 13, it was learned about the murder of a volunteer, Ukrainian activist Alexander Kononov, who was killed by the Russian army in his house in the village of Borivskyi near Severodonetsk in the Luhansk region. In 2014, Alexander Kononov spent 98 days in captivity with the so-called militants. "LPR", he was a person with a disability, he had neither arms nor legs.

NGOs demand that everything possible be done to protect Ukrainian civilians who are at additional risk in connection with their public, voluntary activities, work in local self-governments or civil service.

They also call on the world to require Russia to abide by the provisions of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, and also the Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions, the Hague Convention, the Convention on the Laws and Customs of War on Land and its Annex.