Charity urges ‘genuine’ humanitarian corridors in Ukraine

Civilians whose homes have been destroyed and others fearing for their lives under Russian bombardment must be granted access to safe humanitarian corridors as a matter of urgency, the charity Amnesty International said today.

During an event at University College London on Tuesday evening, a senior Conservative MP referred to the failure of humanitarian corridors in Srebrenica, and more recently in Syria, suggesting that if countries and organisations suggesting the corridors were not “prepared to fight for them” they could lead to civilian massacres.

The Srebrenica massacre of July 1995 involved the genocidal killing of over 8000 Bosniak men and boys by Serbian forces, following the UN’s declaration of the area as a “safe zone”.

At a bare minimum, genuinely safe evacuation routes must be provided, said Amnesty. To date, many such corridors have proven both unreliable and dangerous.

Ukraine and Russia first agreed on 3 March to establish humanitarian corridors for civilian evacuation and humanitarian aid delivery, but implementation has been slow and limited.

The Ukrainian authorities have requested that routes should allow civilians to escape from heavily-bombed Mariupol, Enerhodar, Sumy, Izyum and Volnovakha, and for residents of several towns close to Kyiv – including Bucha, Irpin and Hostomel – to reach the capital.

Amnesty is calling on the warring parties to agree well-planned, safe humanitarian corridors and to respect such agreements in good faith; for civilians to be provided accessible transportation as well as sufficient time to safely exit; and for international observers to be granted access to monitor their safe passage.

Civilians seeking safety from the bombardments, including those whose homes have been destroyed, urgently need safe passage and they should not be forced to relocate to Russian-controlled territory. Impartial humanitarian relief organisations must be able to gain access to civilians in need, including those who remain after evacuations.

Amnesty warns that Russian forces must not employ illegal sieges such as those carried out in Chechnya and Syria, where large numbers of people were subjected to indiscriminate bombardment and left with the “choice” to surrender or starve. Amnesty also objects to any plan which would require civilians to relocate to areas they consider unsafe, including the occupied Crimea or Donbas regions of Ukraine, or Russia.

Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said: “Regrettably, humanitarian corridors are needed urgently.

“This pressing need for humanitarian corridors is a direct result of Russia’s betrayal of its legal obligations.

“Genuine humanitarian corridors must be established quickly, effectively and safely. Civilians must not be put at even more risk as they seek to escape the conflict.

“Russian forces must also immediately allow humanitarian aid to reach civilians who remain in their homes.

“Civilians must be protected at all times. Safe and secure humanitarian corridors are a must, but unlawful attacks which are killing and injuring civilians must cease forthwith and comprehensively.”