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Working in a forest near Izyum where hundreds of improvised graves were found.
Photo: JUAN BARRETO / AFP
After the liberation of the small town of Izyum, rescue teams unearth hundreds of graves near the village.
According to Ukrainian sources, some of the dead may show signs of torture (read a report by our reporters from Izyum here).
Among other things, there is talk of the dead whose hands are said to be tied behind their backs.
In view of this development, the Czech EU Council Presidency has called for the establishment of an international war crimes tribunal on Ukraine.
"In the 21st century, such attacks on the civilian population are unthinkable and abominable," Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said on Twitter on Saturday.
“We mustn't overlook it.
We work for the punishment of all war criminals.«
Fast action necessary
Lipavsky emphasized: "I call for the rapid establishment of a special international tribunal to investigate the crimes." According to investigators, some of the bodies found in the approximately 450 graves near the eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum had their hands tied behind their backs.
Many are also said to show signs of torture.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy compared Izyum to the cities of Bucha and Mariupol, which have become symbols of the atrocities committed by the Russian invaders in Ukraine.
On Friday Zelenskyy commented on the finds in Izyum with the words: »Russia leaves behind only death and suffering.
Murderer.
torturers.«
Before the start of the war, Izyum had almost 50,000 inhabitants and is one of the largest cities that was recaptured from Russian troops during Ukraine's counter-offensive in the east of the country.
After the Ukrainians had gained ground in the Kharkiv region, the Russian troops there hastily withdrew from the areas around Balakliya and Izyum.
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