Head of Amnesty International Ukraine office quits

Oksana Pokalchuk, head of Amnesty International’s Ukraine office has quit the human rights body.

Her decision follows a disagreement with Amnesty after it published a report accusing Ukraine’s armed forces of endangering civilians by basing troops in residential areas during the Russian invasion.

Pokalchuk said on Facebook that she was resigning as she opposed the report’s publication and understands that she could not get it changed or removed.

Pokalchuk said Amnesty unwittingly “created material that sounded like support for Russian narratives of the invasion. In an effort to protect civilians, this study became a tool of Russian propaganda”.

“It pains me to admit it, but we disagreed with the leadership of Amnesty International on values. That’s why I decided to leave the organization.”

Also read: Amnesty International accuses DRC of suppressing rights activists

Amnesty comments in the report published on Thursday drew fierce criticism from the Ukrainian government.

President Volodymyr Zelensky led denunciations of Amnesty’s allegations, accusing the group of “trying to shift the responsibility from the aggressor to the victim”.

Ukrainian officials say they take every possible measure to evacuate civilians from front-line areas.

Amnesty International accepted Pokalchuk’s resignation while describing her as a valued member of the organization.

“Oksana has been a valued member of Amnesty staff, and has led the Amnesty International Ukraine office for seven years with many significant human rights successes.”

“We are sorry to hear that she is leaving the organization, but we respect her decision and wish her well,” an Amnesty spokesperson quoted Agnes Callamard, the organization’s Secretary General, as saying.

The International human rights body said it is preparing a further statement following criticism of this week’s report.

Zainab Sa’id