By Fatih Erel
GENEVA
About 8,000 people have lost their lives due to conflict between the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine since mid-April 2014, a UN report said Tuesday.
The new report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, which covers the period from 16 May to 15 August 2015, on the human rights situation in Ukraine launched in Geneva.
"The report notes that the number of civilian casualties more than doubled by comparison with the previous three months, with at least 105 people killed and 308 injured compared to 60 killed and 102 injured between 16 February and 15 May," said Gianni Magazzeni, UN’s human rights chief, in a press conference in Geneva.
Since the conflict began in eastern Ukraine in mid-April 2014, a total of at least 7,962 people (including Ukrainian armed forces, civilians and members of the armed groups) have been killed, and at least 17,811 injured, the report said.
"This is a conservative estimate and the actual numbers could be considerably higher," the report warned.
According to UN, more needs to be done to protect civilians in accordance with the Minsk cease-fire agreement reached in February.
"The shelling of residential areas on both sides of the contact line has led to a disturbing increase in the number of civilian casualties over the past three months," report said.
"During the reporting period the majority of civilian casualties caused by shelling occurred within the territories controlled by the armed groups," the report said.
- Crimea
The report also said that human rights violations continue to be committed by the de facto authorities in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
"Former Maidan activists resident in Crimea continued to be under scrutiny of the investigative bodies. Dissenting voices continued to be effectively silenced and denied any public space, especially as regards to those Crimean Tatars organizations which the de facto authorities consider non-loyal or claim to be extremist," report said.
