On Monday 8 August, the Centre for Strategic Communications and Information Security made a series of false allegations about how Amnesty International had obtained evidence used in our 4 August press release on Ukraine.
Amnesty International categorically refutes these allegations, which have no basis and are entirely false. None of the people we interviewed for further evidence, in addition to what researchers witnessed directly, were in Russian prisons or ‘filtration camps’, or Russian-controlled territories - to which Amnesty International has no access. Our researchers interviewed all of the witnesses whose testimonies we used themselves, in Ukraine-controlled territories. All testimonies were given to us voluntarily and in safe conditions.
The investigation published on 4 August was carried out by the same Amnesty International experts who, since the start of Russia’s invasion, have been systematically documenting Russia’s violations of international humanitarian law.
Amnesty International has documented and reported on numerous violations by Russian forces, including indiscriminate attacks, use of banned cluster munitions, and extrajudicial executions. Many of the violations we have documented amount to war crimes, and we continue to call for those responsible to be brought to justice. Amnesty International unequivocally condemns Russia’s invasion as an act of aggression and a crime under international law.