"My recent trip to Ukraine will forever haunt me"

 

Amnesty Supporters —

As I walked through what had once been living rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms, my heart ached at the human toll of this war of aggression against Ukrainian civilians. I spoke with survivors who lost loved ones to brutal attacks at the hands of Russian forces. I interviewed some at home in their apartments, and many who were taking shelter in basements underground.

It’s impossible to comprehend the crimes committed by Russian military forces, but that’s exactly what I was there to do. As a crisis investigator for Amnesty International, I document war crimes in great detail, so that we can bring justice to victims and survivors. I’ve been doing this work with Amnesty International for nearly 30 years.

You know, if it weren’t for people who care about human rights, I wouldn’t be there, and we wouldn’t have clear evidence of war crimes and human rights violations. Amnesty members fuels the resources to protect human rights worldwide. They are the backbone of our work.

My team has documented indiscriminate attacks on civilians and extrajudicial executions in towns including Borodyanka, Kharkiv, Bucha, Andriivka, Zdvyzhivka, and Vorzel. I spoke about these findings to the press, along with my Amnesty colleagues, to call attention to the human rights atrocities in Ukraine. We’re also helping to create a roadmap for prosecutions at the International Criminal Court (ICC) — or any other court in Ukraine or elsewhere. This is how we get real results. This is how your donation will get put to work. Our crisis investigation teams are dispatched to countries around the world to do real-time research and documentation. Amnesty's work is critical to protect civilians and prevent human rights violations and war crimes committed during conflicts. It’s hard work in difficult conditions, and it can be extremely distressing — but at the end of the day, I know we’re uncovering and documenting the human rights abuses that many wish they could sweep under the rug. But we can’t shine a light on injustice alone — we need the support of people like you. The key to our success lies in the strength of Amnesty's supporters and members. Join Amnesty with a donation that will triple in impact for human rights. Help us seek justice for human rights atrocities committed in Ukraine. Thank you again — on behalf of my team and all of us here at Amnesty — for your commitment to our work.

Donatella Rovera Senior Crisis Advisor Amnesty International

DONATE NOW

© 2022 Amnesty International USA 311 W 43rd Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10036 | 1-800-AMNESTY