A presentation was held in Kyiv for a new publication titled «Olenivka. Crime. Memory. Broken System», which chronicles the war crime that claimed the lives of numerous Ukrainian soldiers - defenders of Mariupol.
This was reported by Chytomo.
The book was created by the Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIPL), the memory platform «Memorial», and The Ukrainians Publishing.
The foreword was written by Denis «Redis» Prokopenko, commander of the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine «Azov».
The book consists of four parts. As explained by Vera Kuriko, editor of The Ukrainians Media, the structure is designed to help readers grasp both the events and the systemic context in which the crime occurred.
«My task was to make the book restrained yet understandable. While reading is never easy, especially in wartime, this book addresses every aspect of the crime we can discuss», - she noted.
On the night of July 29, 2022, an explosion occurred in a building of the Olenivka prison, claiming the lives of at least 47 Ukrainian prisoners of war held there after a heroic 86-day defense of Mariupol.
The first part of the book reconstructs the events before, during, and after the explosion, relying on testimonies from survivors in «Barrack 200» collected by the human rights organization MIPL.
The second section contains portraits and stories of all those who died in the prison, an attempt to restore their names and voices, according to co-founder of the «Memorial» platform, Gayane Avakyan.
«Every person listed here deserves not only remembrance but also justice. That is why it is vital to document each story, name the guilty, and make the truth visible», - she emphasized.
The third part analyzes why the international justice system has been powerless in the face of Russian war crimes.
As of now, Russia has not been held accountable for any of these crimes, and the mass killing of Ukrainian prisoners in Olenivka has not even been investigated by the aggressor state. Ukrainian lawyers have submitted collected materials to the International Criminal Court, urging for an investigation.
The system of international justice remains inactive while Ukrainian prisoners continue to suffer in inhumane conditions created by Russia. The last, fourth section of the publication speaks about those who still remain in Russian captivity.
«Captivity serves only one purpose - to remove a person from participation in hostilities. However, inhumane conditions, torture, show trials, and executions do not align with this aim. International humanitarian law sets boundaries to protect non-combatants. Russia systematically and cynically violates these rules», - reminded the head of MIPL and co-author of the book, Tetiana Katrychenko.
The presentation gathered over 100 attendees, including former prisoners and families of those who died in Olenivka.
