AUSTRIA, September 13 - On 14 September 2022, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg welcomed members of the independent Commission of Inquiry for Ukraine, set up last March by the United Nations Human Rights Council, to the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Commission of Inquiry is based in Vienna. Its objectives are to document violations of human rights and international law committed in connection with Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, identify those responsible, and collect evidence for future court proceedings.

We cannot have impunity on this. We need to make sure these incidents are investigated, and the perpetrators – specifically the political and military leaders – must be brought to account. This is a task for the international community and for the United Nations,

emphasised Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, making reference to the inhuman atrocities committed by the Russian aggressors in places like Bucha, Irpin and Vinnytsia.

Targeted attacks against civilians, urban areas and medical facilities,forced disappearances,arbitrary detention, sexual violence and the use of cluster bombs represent hugely serious breaches of international humanitarian law.These war crimes must be punished. The Russian Federation should be aware that the full responsibility for them rests upon its shoulders,

Foreign Minister Schallenberg added.

Strong relationships with relevant national authorities and with the International Criminal Court are important in ensuring that the Committee of Inquiry can complete its work. By the beginning of September 2022, it had identified a total of almost 14,000 civilian victims of the conflict, including over 5,700 dead. The true figures are likely to be significantly higher. The Committee will present an oral briefing later this month at the 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council, with a final, written report to follow in spring 2023.