UN: Minsk agreements should not include amnesty for those found guilty of murder and crimes against humanity
The Minsk negotiation process should not result in amnesty for those who are guilty of premeditated murders or crimes against humanity during the armed conflict in Ukraine, according to the head of the UN Human Rights monitoring mission, Fiona Frazer.
While in Kiev, Frazer conducted a presentation of the report of the Office of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights, which was titled “Responsibility for the killings in Ukraine from January 2014 to May 2016”.
“In the context of the current talks regarding pardoning and amnesty in the implementation of the Minsk Agreements, it should be guaranteed that amnesty will not be granted to people responsible for premeditated murder, as well as people who are suspected and accused of, or convicted of, war crimes, crimes against humanity or serious human rights violations,” Ukrinform quoted Frazer.
According to her, amnesty is unacceptable if it restricts the rights of victims.
A paragraph in the Minsk Agreements discusses amnesty for crimes in the Donbas. The Ukrainian government, however, has expressed a willingness to grant amnesty only to those who have not committed any serious crimes.
Since the signing of the new version of the Minsk Agreements in February 2015, the implementation of this paragraph has not progressed significantly.