UN human rights chief Navi Pillay says that she was disturbed by a message on the website of one leader of the self-proclaimed 'Donetsk People's Republic', which states that underage children and women are legitimate targets and that the goal is to 'immerse them in horror'.
"Such blatant incitement to violence is utterly reprehensible and a clear violation of international human rights law," she said in a statement on Friday. "There has been strong hate speech from all sides, she added. Pillay expressed deep concern about the safety of the people who remain trapped in Donetsk and Luhansk areas controlled by the armed groups and are caught in the crossfire between armed groups and the Ukrainian Government.
Pillay said that following the end of the ceasefire on 30 June in Ukraine, the UN human rights monitoring mission in the country has reported numerous deaths of people in Donetsk and Luhansk who are caught in the middle of the ongoing security operations.
UN human rights chief said one of the victims included a five-year-old girl. "There have also been reports of the use of landmines, which have allegedly led to three deaths and left several people injured," Pillay added.
In the month of June, the human rights monitoring team has documented the killing of five children in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Pillay called on the Ukrainian Government to investigate every alleged extrajudicial killing and to bring the perpetrators to justice.
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