The organization’s report published on Thursday has caused widespread disapproval, especially in Ukraine.
On Sunday, the human rights organization Amnesty International regretted its report in which it reprimanded the Ukrainian army for endangering civilians.
– Nothing that we told the Ukrainian forces was doing in any way justifies Russia’s violations, Amnesty stated.
Published on Thursday in the report (you switch to another service) Amnesty accused the Ukrainian army of endangering the lives of civilians by establishing military bases in residential areas, schools and hospitals, even though there were other opportunities.
– Amnesty International’s priority in a conflict situation is to ensure the safety of the civilian population. That was our sole objective when we published our latest report. We still stand by our findings, but we regret it [raportin] from the anxiety and anger caused, the organization’s statement states.
Amnesty has said that it interviewed hundreds of Ukrainians after the war started by Russia. According to the organization, the victims’ stories shed light on the brutal reality of Russia’s war of aggression.
The Ukrainian prosecutor said on Sunday that at least 26,000 war crimes have been committed in Ukraine during the war. Only a fraction of them have ended up in court.
Pokalchuk accused the organization of spreading Kremlin propaganda
Pokalchuk said he had warned Amnesty’s management about the one-sidedness of the report before its publication, but his comments had been ignored.
Amnesty said that it had contacted the defense authorities and presented its material. The organization said it had not received a response to its contact by the time the report was published.
Pokalchuk said that not enough time was given to give a response.
– As a result, the organization unintentionally published a report that goes along with Russia’s narratives. Instead of trying to protect civilians, the report became a tool for Russian propaganda.
Also the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi resented the report. According to Zelenskyi, the victim of war and the aggressor cannot be equated as presented in the report.