The head of the Ukraine office of the human rights organization Amnesty International has resigned after the publication of a critical report on the Ukrainian army. Oksana Pokalchuk announced her resignation online late Friday evening, accusing Amnesty of hijacking Russian propaganda.
Amnesty caused outrage in Kyiv with the report presented on Thursday. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the organization of “putting victims and attackers on the same level”. In the report, Amnesty accused the Ukrainian army of endangering civilians by setting up bases in residential areas, schools and hospitals.
“Unless you live in a country that’s being invaded by occupiers who are tearing it to pieces, you probably don’t understand what it’s like to condemn an army of defenders,” Pokalchuk explained. “And there are no words in any language, who can convey this to someone who has not experienced this pain.” Pokalchuk said she tried to warn Amnesty officials that the report was one-sided and did not adequately reflect Ukraine’s position. However, she was ignored.
Amnesty says the organization contacted Ukraine’s Defense Ministry officials on July 29, but they did not respond to a request for comment on the report’s findings in time for its August 4 release. Pokalchuk said that wasn’t nearly enough time. “As a result, the organization inadvertently issued a statement that sounded like support for the Russian narrative. In an effort to protect civilians, this report instead became a Russian propaganda tool,” she lamented. Amnesty’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard said on Friday that the organization “stands whole” by its report.
