Category: Abduction

UN Report: ‘Reasonable Grounds To Believe’ Hamas Members Sexually-Assaulted, Raped Abductees

U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the 76th Session of the U.N. General Assembly on September 21, 2021 at U.N. headquarters in New York City. More than 100 heads of state or government are attending the session in person, although the size of delegations is smaller due to the Covid-19 pandemic. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz-Pool/Getty Images)

OAN’s Brooke Mallory
2:20 PM – Monday, March 4, 2024

SEE: https://www.oann.com/newsroom/un-report-reasonable-grounds-to-believe-hamas-members-sexually-assaulted-raped-abductees/; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

According to a team of United Nations (UN) delegates, during Hamas’ October 7th attack on Israel, there were “reasonable grounds to believe” that the terrorist group committed sexual violence, including rape and gang-rape.

The report also claims to have discovered solid evidence supporting the assertion that sexual assault against Israeli hostages in Gaza has occurred and may still be occurring.

The delegation, headed by UN special envoy Pramila Patten for sexual violence in conflict, traveled to Israel from January 29th to February 14th with the goal of compiling, examining, and confirming data on sexual assaults related to October 7th.

“Credible circumstantial information, which may be indicative of some forms of sexual violence, including genital mutilation, sexualized torture, or cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, was also gathered,” the 24-page UN report states.

On October 7th, thousands of Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, killing at least 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages, most of whom were civilians and many of whom were subjected to horrifying acts of violence.

“The mission team found clear and convincing information that some hostages taken to Gaza have been subjected to various forms of conflict-related sexual violence and has reasonable grounds to believe that such violence may be ongoing,” the UN report says.

According to the report, a “fully-fledged investigation” will be necessary to determine the precise attribution, extent, and total size of the instances of sexual violence.

Following October 7th, the UN team also claims to have received evidence regarding “sexual violence against Palestinian men and women in [Israeli] detention settings, during house raids, and at checkpoints” from institutional and civil society sources in addition to direct interviews.

They continued, claiming that after bringing up the accusations with Israel’s Ministry of Justice and Military Advocate General, the UN group was purportedly informed that there had been no reports of sexual assault against Israeli Defense Force (IDF) personnel.

Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts

U.S. Prosecutors Charge 4 Russian Soldiers For Abducting, Torturing American In Ukraine

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Department of Justice on December 6, 2023 in Washington, DC. The Department of Justice announced today that four Russian military personnel have been indicted for war crimes committed against a U.S. national living in Ukraine, the first of such charges ever to be brought under the U.S. war crimes statute. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

OAN’s Brooke Mallory
1:25 PM – Wednesday, December 6, 2023

SEE: https://www.oann.com/newsroom/u-s-prosecutors-charge-4-russian-soldiers-for-abducting-torturing-american-in-ukraine/;

Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, & research purposes.

The Justice Department said on Wednesday that U.S. federal prosecutors have charged four Russian soldiers with war crimes after it was discovered that the men allegedly kidnapped and tortured an American citizen in Ukraine, immediately after Russia’s incursion.

Three war crimes were brought against the soldiers—two commanding officers and two lower-ranking soldiers—for allegedly abusing the U.S. resident in Ukraine. The two low-ranking members were identified simply by their first names, Valerii and Nazar, while the commanding leaders were named as Suren Seiranovich Mkrtchyan and Dmitry Budnik.

According to the Justice Department, each defendant faces charges of wrongful detention, torture, and inhumane treatment, in addition to one count of conspiracy to commit war crimes.

Attorney General Merrick Garland made a statement at the Justice Department on Tuesday, stating that the charges—which were made possible by federal legislation from 1996 that made violations of the Geneva Conventions illegal—were presented in an indictment in the Eastern District of Virginia.

The men are not in American custody.

“These charges, against four Russia-affiliated military personnel, are the Justice Department’s first criminal charges under the U.S. war crimes statute. "They are also an important step toward accountability for the Russian regime’s illegal war in Ukraine,” Garland said. “Our work is far from done.”

The unidentified victim was allegedly taken by Mkrtchyan and his men in April 2022 from the village of Mylove in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson Oblast. The Justice Department claims they assaulted him and placed him in an unlawful detention facility for ten days.

Some of the Russian men, according to officials, either led or took part in the interrogation sessions, during which they tortured the victim, removing his clothing, taking pictures, and abusing him.

The accused “threw [the victim] face down to the ground while he was naked, tied his hands behind his back, pointed a gun at his head, and beat him with their feet, their fists, and the stocks of their guns,” wrote prosecutors in the 9-page indictment.

Prosecutors highlighted one particularly violent session, when Budnik “threatened the victim with death and asked him for his last words.”

The victim was subsequently taken outside by Nazar and others.

“There, they forced him to the ground and put a gun to the back of his head. The victim believed he was about to be killed. They moved the gun just before pulling the trigger, and the bullet went just past his head,” Garland asserted. “After the mock execution, the victim was beaten and interrogated again.”

According to the charging documents, the unidentified victim had neither fought nor taken part in the war and had been residing in Ukraine since 2021.

The Justice Department has established a War Crimes Accountability Team to look into possible war crimes in Ukraine that could be prosecuted in the United States as part of its assistance in the investigation of Russian service members. Additionally, U.S. investigators are helping Ukrainian officials collect and record proof of Russian atrocities.

Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts