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Abstract
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International humanitarian law (IHL) governs the conduct of parties in armed conflict. The principle of respect for and protection of health workers providing medical care is included in all the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols,1 which both Ukraine and the Russian Federation have ratified, as well as in customary international law. Elements of respect and protection for medical impartiality have likewise been recognized by the International Committee of the Red Cross as binding customary international humanitarian law. In addition to the general rule prohibiting attacks on civilians and civilian objects, IHL affords specific, enhanced protection to medical personnel, medical units, and medical vehicles. This applies regardless of whether they are military or civilian.
February 24, 2023, marks 1 year since the Russian Federation launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The invasion of a sovereign nation itself was a gross violation of international law, and since then, Russia has deliberately and indiscriminately targeted Ukraine's health care system as part of relentless attacks on civilian infrastructure and populations. Disruption of health care services once again is being used as a brutal weapon of war in violation of international humanitarian law.
Our organizations, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and the Ukrainian Healthcare Center (UHC), in partnership with the Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR), eyeWitness to Atrocities, and Insecurity Insight, have conducted detailed case studies and created a joint data set of documented attacks to illustrate the devastation that Russian aggression has wreaked on Ukraine's health care system over this past year. These findings are presented in our joint report Destruction and Devastation: One Year of Russia's Assault on Ukraine's Health Care System.2 Russian forces have targeted the health care system through direct attacks on health care facilities (186 facilities damaged and 32 destroyed); attacks on ambulances (65); looting and destruction of supplies and medicines, denial of access to health care, disruptions of access to utilities; and assaults, unlawful detentions, torture, and ill treatment of physicians, nurses, paramedics, and other health care workers (62 killed and 52 injured).2
In the first 2 weeks of the invasion, 4 to 5 health care facilities were attacked daily. Through December 31, 2022, there was an average of more than 2 attacks on health care every day, totaling 707. Almost 10% of Ukraine's hospitals have been directly damaged as a result.
Language: en |