Three years of reporting, funded by our readers — become a member now and help us prepare for 2025.
Goal: 1,000 new members for our birthday. Gift a membership to your friend and help us prepare for what 2025 might bring.
Become a member Gift membership
Skip to content
Edit post

New York Times: Report finds parts of Amnesty statement criticizing Ukraine 'ambiguous and imprecise'

by The Kyiv Independent news desk April 29, 2023 5:24 AM 2 min read
This audio is created with AI assistance

An undisclosed report seen by the New York Times found faults in Amnesty International's Aug. 4 statement accusing Ukrainian troops of illegally putting civilians in harm's way while fighting Russia. According to the newspaper, Amnesty's board has not yet reacted to the report, completed months ago.

Amnesty International published a report last summer accusing Ukraine's military of endangering civilians by placing military personnel and equipment nearby populated civilian areas. The report sparked an outcry in and outside of Ukraine.

Following the public outrage, the organization apologized for the "distress and anger" its report caused, but that it "fully stood" behind its findings. The organization then said it would conduct an external evaluation and the board said it would commission a legal review of the statement to assess its legal legitimacy.

While the 18-page report did conclude that it was appropriate for the group to determine if both sides were observing the rules of war, it concluded that that Amnesty "had botched its statement in several ways and that its key conclusions that Ukraine violated international law were “not sufficiently substantiated” by the available evidence," the New York Times wrote.

The Aug. 4 report was ultimately “written in language that was ambiguous, imprecise and in some respects legally questionable,” the report found, the New York Times reported.  

“This is particularly the case with the opening paragraphs, which could be read as implying — even though this was not A.I.’s intention — that, on a systemic or general level, Ukrainian forces were primarily or equally to blame for the death of civilians resulting from attacks by Russia."

Editorial: It is Amnesty International’s report that endangers Ukrainian civilians
Editor’s note: Editorials are articles that present the opinion of the editorial team of the Kyiv Independent. In its brutal war of conquest against Ukraine, Russia has been blatantly and systematically targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure anywhere its missiles, artillery, and guns can r…
Three years of reporting, funded by our readers.
Millions read the Kyiv Independent, but only one in 10,000 readers makes a financial contribution. Thanks to our community we've been able to keep our reporting free and accessible to everyone. For our third birthday, we're looking for 1,000 new members to help fund our mission and to help us prepare for what 2025 might bring.
Three years. Millions of readers. All thanks to 12,000 supporters.
It’s thanks to readers like you that we can celebrate another birthday this November. We’re looking for another 1,000 members to help fund our mission, keep our journalism accessible for all, and prepare for whatever 2025 might bring. Consider gifting a membership today or help us spread the word.
Help us get 1,000 new members!
Become a member Gift membership
visa masterCard americanExpress

News Feed

3:44 PM

Russian ICBM strike would be 'clear escalation,' EU says.

"While we're assessing the full facts, it's obvious that such (an) attack would mark yet another clear escalation from the side of (Russian President Vladimir Putin," EU foreign affairs spokesperson Peter Stano said, according to AFP.
1:40 PM

Merkel describes Trump as 'fascinated by Putin' in her memoir.

"(Donald Trump) saw everything from the point of view of a property developer, which is what he was before he came into politics. Every plot of land could only be sold once, and if he didn't get it, someone else would," Angela Merkel says in her memoir.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.