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Switzerland condemns Russian abuse of human rights

Ignazio Cassis
Cassis addressed the UN Human Rights Council on Monday. © Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle

Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis spoke out against Russian human rights abuses at a United Nations Human Rights Council session in Geneva.

Russia has violated the rights of Ukrainian people since invading its neighbour a year ago, said Cassis in a speech to mark the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

+ How the Ukraine war has changed Switzerland

“Never again should a state be allowed to deprive individuals of their fundamental rights and freedoms,” said Cassis. “Regrettably, since 1948, the world has been accumulating ‘agains’.”

Russian occupiers have been accused of the indiscriminate killings of Ukrainian civilians and condemned for targeting electricity and water infrastructure with a bombing campaign.

+ Where are we after 75 years of human rights?

Cassis said that Switzerland stands ready to find solutions to current human rights abuses. But he called on all other nations to support this cause.

“We continue to see a gap between states’ commitments and what is actually happening,” he said during his speech on Monday.

Last year, the Swiss Office of the Attorney General put together a special taskforceExternal link to collect evidence from Ukrainian refugees about Russian war crimes.

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