Russia is committing war crimes, and likely crimes against humanity, through the forcible transfer and deportation of civilians from Ukraine. As they leave their homeplaces, people must undergo an invasive screening process called filtration. They are interrogated, searched, and many are detained and subjected to torture and other ill-treatment which is a war crime against civilians.
Together we must demand Russia stop forcible transfer and arbitrary detention of civilians from Ukraine.
Milena, 33, sheltered from Russian bombardments for weeks in a building in northern Mariupol. In early April, it was taken over by Russian forces. Milena said that Russian soldiers prevented her and her family from fleeing west to Ukrainian government-held areas:
“We started asking questions about evacuations, where it is possible to go… The [Russian] solder interrupted and said: ‘If you don’t go to the DNR or the Russian Federation, you will stay here forever.’”
Milena’s husband, a former marine with the Ukrainian military, was detained while crossing the Russian border soon afterwards, and has not been released.
As they flee their homeplaces, displaced civilians from Ukraine are pushed through an abusive screening process, known as ‘filtration’. People are searched and interrogated. Some, particularly men of military age, are arbitrary detained, tortured and held in inhuman conditions. In some cases, children have been separated from their parents, in a clear violation of international humanitarian law.
Sign the petition now and demand Russia immediately stops the forcible transfer of civilians from Ukraine.
We demand that:
- Russian and Russian-controlled forces must immediately stop the forcible transfer of all civilians from Ukraine to Russia or other occupied areas of Ukraine.
- Russian and Russian-controlled forces must immediately end the abusive process known as ‘filtration’ and release all those who are being held unlawfully in detention.
- Russia should facilitate the safe evacuation of civilians from Ukraine directly to government-held parts of Ukraine if that is their choice and ensure that mechanisms are in place to help the most at-risk members of the population, including children, older people and people with disabilities, to leave Russia or Russian-occupied areas and to reunite with their families.