GENEVA: In a diplomatic victory for Ukraine, the UN Human Rights Council on Friday overwhelmingly voted to create a top-level investigation into violations committed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

However, in a setback for the war-torn country, Nato declined to impose a no-fly-zone over it, despite Kyiv’s appeals for urgent measures to stop Russian bombardments.

Thirty-two members of the 47-seat UN rights council voted to establish the highest-level probe possible into alleged rights violations, in a bid to hold perpetrators responsible.

Only Russia itself and Eritrea voted against the resolution. The remaining 13 members abstained — including Moscow’s traditional backers China, Venezuela and Cuba.

Nato refuses to impose no-fly zone over Ukraine; Russian MPs approve harsh jail terms for publishing ‘fake news’ about army

The text, presented by Kyiv, called for the “swift and verifiable withdrawal of Russian Federation troops and Russian-backed armed groups from the entire territory of Ukraine”.

Most importantly, Friday’s vote opens the way to create an independent international commission of inquiry “to investigate all alleged violations and abuses... in the context of the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine”.

It calls for the appointment of three investigators to “establish the facts, circumstances, and root causes of any such violations and abuses”, and to gather evidence “with a view to ensuring that those responsible are held accountable”.

After an urgent meeting of Nato foreign ministers, meanwhile, the military alliance’s secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said: “The only way to implement a no-fly zone is to send Nato fighter planes into Ukraine’s airspace, and then impose that no-fly zone by shooting down Russian planes.

“If we did that, we’ll end up with something that could end in a full-fledged war in Europe, involving many more countries and causing much more human suffering. So that’s the reason why we make this painful decision.”

Stoltenberg warned that “the days to come are likely to be worse, with more death, more suffering, and more destruction as Russian armed forces bring in heavier weaponry and continue their attacks across the country”.

Harsh sentences for ‘fake news’

Russian lawmakers moved on Friday to impose harsh jail terms for publishing “fake news” about the army, which a senior lawmaker said would apply to foreigners too, as Moscow moved to muffle dissent over its invasion of Ukraine.

The new legislation sets out jail terms of varying lengths and fines against people who publish “knowingly false information” about the military. “If the fakes led to serious consequences, (the legislation) threatens imprisonment of up to 15 years,” the lower house of parliament said in a statement. Speaking at the session, the head of the parliament’s information committee Alexander Khinshtein said the law “concerns all citizens, not only Russian ones, because we are talking about actions against Russia”.

Amendments were also passed to fine or jail people calling for sanctions against Russia. The past year has seen an unprecedented crackdown on independent and critical voices in Russia that has intensified since the invasion.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2022