Michel W. Drapeau (English and French)
Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Law
[email protected]
In light of the horrific images of dead civilians lining the streets of various Kyiv suburbs, some of them with hands bound, the mass grave, and reports of released Ukrainian prisoners of war talking of “inhumane” treatment while in Russian captivity, the following expert has agreed to be contacted directly by the media to discuss the following topics:
- Civilians of a country at war are protected under international humanitarian law so why arrest and detain them?
- Why bind their hands behind their backs?
- Did the Ukraine and Russia agree to any rules of engagement in this conflict?
- Are mass graves dug by the invaders allowed, are the Russians trying to hide what they did or just flaunting it in our face?
“Civilians are NOT combatants. Unless such civilians present a threat - acting as spies or participants - they need to be handled as civilian refugees and be protected against military actions normally under a neutral party such as the Red Cross and escorted out of the combat zone.” - Col. (ret.) Michel W. Drapeau