Ukraine uncovers children’s torture chambers in its de-occupied territories – Ombudsman

children torture chambers in occupied territories ukraine

Torture chamber in de-occupied Ukrainian territories/ Source: Twitter, @Lyla_lilas

2022/12/15 - 08:10 • Latest news Ukraine

For the first time, experts documented the evidence of child torture by the Russian occupation forces, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, told the media in the Ukrinform Media Center on 14 December.

During the occupation of Kharkiv and Kherson Oblasts, Russians set up torture chambers for children deemed to have resisted. One torture chamber in de-occupied Kherson contained a separate room where Russian occupiers held children.

“In the occupied territories, there are torture chambers specifically for children. After Bucha, Irpin, I thought things couldn’t get worse. In Balakliya, I witnessed two torture chambers” the Ombudsman stated.

According to the Ombudsman, one boy spent 90 days in one of these torture chambers. He claimed Russians tortured him. They cut him with a knife and burned his body parts with hot metal. Moreover, Russian occupiers took him several times to execution and shot him over his head. Every hour of every day, he could hear screams of tortured women and men.

“In Kherson, there are ten torture chambers. One of these chambers had a separate cell for children,” he said, adding that “According to the testimonies of those held there, Ukrainian children were present in the chambers. Russian occupiers referred to it as the ‘children’s cell.’“

children torture chamber Kherson Oblast illustrative

Children torture chamber on Ukraine’s de-occupied territories/ Source: Slovo I Dilo

The Ombudsman claims that children held in the torture chambers were not fed and were given water once a day. Moreover, the Russian occupiers lied to children. They used psychological pressure on children. The Russian occupiers claimed that the children’s parents had abandoned them and that they would not return to them.

“There was a 14-year old boy who was detained and held in the torture chamber for photographing Russian equipment on his phone,” said Lubinets.