Today the United States joined 44 other countries, with the support of Ukraine, in invoking the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Moscow Mechanism to establish a mission of experts to examine allegations of the arbitrary deprivation of liberty of Ukrainian civilians by the Russian Federation in those parts of Ukraine's territory temporarily controlled or occupied by Russia. This mission of experts will look into facts and circumstances surrounding such detentions and associated abuses to consider whether they constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity, violate international humanitarian law and/or international human rights law, or contravene relevant OSCE commitments. The experts also will compile information for relevant accountability mechanisms as well as national, regional, or international courts or tribunals that have or may in the future have jurisdiction.
This invocation follows OSCE's May 2023, July 2022, and April 2022 Moscow Mechanism Experts' Missions' Reports, which documented widespread human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law by Russian Federation forces in Ukraine, including evidence related to the forcible transfer within Russia-occupied parts of Ukraine and/or deportation of Ukraine's children to the Russian Federation. Those reports catalogued extensive evidence of Russia's forces direct targeting of civilians, attacks on medical facilities, rape, torture, summary executions, looting, and forced deportation of civilians to Russia, including children, constituting "clear patterns of serious violations of international humanitarian law" in the territories under the effective control of the Russian Federation.
We urge relevant authorities in both Ukraine and Russia to cooperate fully with the expert mission and facilitate its work. The United States and our Allies and partners remain steadfastly committed to supporting Ukraine and holding the Russian Federation to account for its unconscionable abuses.
