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Amnesty International details widespread kidnapping and torture in Ukraine
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/07/11/amnesty-international-details-widespread-kidnapping-and-torture-in-ukraine/
Amnesty International details widespread kidnapping and torture in Ukraine
By Agence France-Presse
Friday, July 11, 2014 5:10 EDT
A new Amnesty International report on Friday highlighted the “hundreds” of abductions and incidents of torture by pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine, and also criticised the excessive force used by government forces.
“They beat me with their fists, a chair, anything they could find. They stubbed out cigarettes on my leg and electrocuted me. It went on for so long, I couldn?t feel anything anymore. I just passed out,” Sasha, a 19-year-old kidnapped in the eastern city of Lugansk, told the rights group in the report.
Sasha had been a member of pro-Kiev “self-defence forces” in the eastern separatist stronghold. He said he was only released after his father paid a $60,000 (45,000-euro) fine, after which he fled to the capital.
Amnesty’s report paints a grim portrait of rampant kidnapping, extortion and torture in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian forces seized control of key cities earlier this year and are currently engaged in a desperate battle against government forces.