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President of Human Rights Council appoints members of investigative body in Ukraine

30 March 2022 18:34 (UTC +04:00)

The President of the Human Rights Council, Ambassador Federico Villegas (Argentina), today announced the appointment of Erik Møse of Norway, Jasminka Džumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Pablo de Greiff of Colombia to serve as the three independent members of the recently established Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine. Mr. Møse will serve as Chair of the Commission, APA reports citing official website of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

With resolution 49/1 of 4 March 2022, adopted at an "urgent debate", the Human Rights Council decided to establish an independent international commission of inquiry, comprising three experts appointed by the President of the Human Rights Council. The Commission of Inquiry was mandated to “investigate all alleged violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law and related crimes in the context of the aggression against Ukraine by the Russian Federation.”

The three-person Commission was further requested “to collect, consolidate and analyse evidence of such violations and abuses, including their gender dimension, and to systematically record and preserve all information, documentation and evidence, including interviews, witness testimony and forensic material, consistent with international law standards, in view of any future legal proceedings”.

The President of the Human Rights Council sought recommendations from various stakeholders and expressions of interest to find highly qualified and impartial candidates to fill these positions.

The Commission, established for an initial duration of one year, was requested “to establish the facts, circumstances and root causes of any such violations and abuses” and to complement, consolidate and build upon the work of the human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine in close coordination with the mission and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The investigative body was also requested to identify, where possible, individuals and entities responsible for human rights violations and related crimes committed in Ukraine to ensure they are held accountable. It was mandated to make recommendations with a view to ending impunity and ensuring criminal responsibility, and access to justice for victims.

The Commissioners, who will serve in their personal capacities, were requested to present an oral update on their work to the Human Rights Council at its 51st session in September 2022 and a comprehensive written report at its 52nd session in March 2023. They will also submit a report to the UN General Assembly at its 77th session.