The Netherlands and 40 other OSCE countries are calling for an independent investigation into Russia's torture and ill-treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
This was stated by Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp.
According to him, the parties have initiated the so-called ‘Moscow mechanism’ and want to bring those responsible to justice.
‘By initiating the so-called “Moscow mechanism”, the Netherlands, together with its partners, is helping to establish the truth and bring Russia to justice for its war crimes in Ukraine,’ Veldkamp wrote on social media.
- The ‘Moscow Mechanism’ is a formal procedure established within the OSCE. It allows for the deployment of a short-term international fact-finding mission to address a specific human rights issue in the OSCE region, adopted during the meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, held in Moscow in 1991.
- The Moscow Mechanism consists of the creation of a short-term fact-finding mission in accordance with the tasks formulated. Members of such a fact-finding mission are selected from a list of experts compiled by the OSCE on the basis of submissions from participating States. The final result of the Moscow Mechanism is a mission report on specific issues and recommendations for their resolution. The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, located in Warsaw, is responsible for ensuring the mission's activities.