Topic: 2025 – Treatment of Prisoners
Country: Ukraine
Delegate Name: Jacob Zhang
Human Rights Council
Treatment of prisoners
Ukraine
Jacob Zhang
Forest Hills Northern High School
The treatment of prisoners is one of the most important and prevalent human rights issues in Ukraine, especially under the application of the Geneva Convention and international humanitarian law. Examples of this would include torture, inhumane conditions of detention, and denial of medical care. This has been continuously happening to thousands of detained civilians and prisoners of war. Specifically to Ukraine, ongoing armed conflicts in Eastern Europe have brought forth intense concerns regarding systematic abuses and a great need for international monitoring and accountability.
Ukraine remains committed to providing humane treatment to those in detention. Ukraine has always been supportive of the International Committee of the Red Cross, which allows access to facilities based on the European Convention of Human Rights. Prisoners of war should have proper conditions of living, nutrition, and medical care according to the Geneva Convention. With the growing documented torture, disappearances, and intentional denial of medical assistance, Ukraine is concerned with the treatment of prisoners outside its domestic borders. Such actions are in blatant violation of international law, and we demand that action be taken from the international community.
Ukraine urges the Human Rights Council to create enhanced independent monitoring mechanisms with mandatory transparency and access to all places of detention in conflict zones. We support the establishment of a UN-maintained database for registering prisoners of war, if this ensures accountability. The international community should reinforce the universal jurisdiction to try perpetrators of prisoner abuse and give more access to healthcare to prioritize the patients who need to be treated.
Additionally, Ukraine stands to cooperate with international investigators documenting
violations and supporting consequences for non-compliance with humanitarian law. The treatment of prisoners reflects the basic commitments to human dignity and the rule of law. We work to uphold principles toward full accountability for violations.
