Almost 4,000 men from Mariupol held in ‘filtration camps’ in occupied Donetsk region

“The occupiers increase the pace of deportation of men from bombed Mariupol to ‘filtration camps’. Currently, according to rough estimates, there are almost 4,000 men in such camps in Bezimenne and Kozatske, Novoazovsk district, Donetsk region,” Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova posted on Telegram.

The Commissioner added that the number of Ukrainian men in "filtration camps" had doubled over the past two weeks alone. None of those detained in the camps returned. The men are held in horrible conditions. They sleep on the floor in unbreathable and unsanitary [rooms]. They are subjected to torture and abuse.

“The occupiers claim that these men will be ‘mobilized’ to join the ranks of illegal armed formations of certain areas of Donetsk region in July-August. To do this, our citizens are forced to write applications for acquiring the citizenship of a self-proclaimed pseudo-republic or Russia," Denisova noted.

Denisova called on the UN Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine to take into account these facts of war crimes and human rights violations.

On May 20, Mariupol mayor's adviser Petro Andriushchenko said that 416 Mariupol residents, including 46 children, had been taken from the city to the "filtration camp" in Bezimenne in one day. After "filtration procedure", 512 people were deported to Russia.

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