The UN International Commission of Inquiry on Violations in Ukraine will continue its activities in Ukraine and will investigate war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide — but only if its mandate is extended.
This was stated by the head of the commission Eric Möse in a comment to Babel.
In the first week of April, the UN Human Rights Council will decide whether to extend the Commissionʼs mandate. If the mandate is not extended, the commission will cease its activities in Ukraine (that is, one organization less that collects evidence).
"The Commission appreciates public statements of support from Member States and civil society organizations," noted Eric Möse.
Not all commissions have their powers extended for the duration of the relevant war. For example, in October 2021, the Human Rights Council did not extend the mandate of the group of experts on Yemen, although at the time of the vote the conflict continued and even escalated.
Regarding the "detection of genocide", Eric Möse stated that the commission receives and considers information from various sources, including national judicial processes. However, regardless of the source, the commission has the right to draw its own conclusions based on an independent and impartial assessment of the evidence. The commission does not have access to the occupied territories. It makes her conclusions after analyzing the totality of verified evidence.
- On March 16, 2023, the UN Independent International Commission to Investigate Violations in Ukraine published a report. In it, it writes about numerous war crimes committed by Russians, but not genocide. The head of the commission Eric Möse told reporters that they had found no evidence of genocide. "We did not find that there was a genocide in Ukraine," he said, adding that "there are some aspects that may raise questions about a possible genocide."