Mr. President,

More than four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the scale and persistence of human rights violations committed by the Russian Federation remain staggering.

Across temporarily occupied territories and in areas under constant Russian attack, the right to life, the prohibition of torture, and protection from arbitrary detention - core guarantees under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights - are violated on a daily basis.

Russia continues its deliberate and systematic attacks against civilian infrastructure, energy and heating facilities, health-care institutions and water systems depriving millions of civilians of their fundamental rights to health, water, adequate housing and standard of living, as protected under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Both important International Covenants mark their 60th anniversary this very year. And the rights enshrined in them are not abstract legal norms - they are lived rights, every day denied by Russia to millions of Ukrainians. Such actions must not go unanswered.

We urge all UN Member States to continue supporting international accountability mechanisms and to ensure that those responsible for these violations are brought to justice.

Accountability is essential - for the victims of torture, for the children unlawfully taken from their families, and for millions of civilians whose fundamental rights continue to be violated.

I thank you!