War Is Not Prohibited by International
Law Says Amnesty International
Yurii Sheliazhenko / Ukrainian Pacifist Movement

(June 4, 2025) — When did the human right defenders start to consider wars legal? Consider this disturbing choice of words from Veronika Velch, Director of Amnesty International in Ukraine:
“As we all know, war is not prohibited by international law. People can make war, they can be aggressive to each other. And they could do this, but they have to follow certain rules. Those rules of the war exist for a reason. And all they are, you know, in Geneva Convention… ”

“I always try to explain why rules of making the war exist, you know. We do not want to have war at all, but when the war exists, we have Geneva Convention and that Geneva Convention exists that people would treat each other as humans, they would not humiliate, they would not torture. Then, if the moment of ending them up or agreeing upon, you know, peace or something, will come, at least, we will have this human face to approach that conversation.
“But right now, three and a half years, we see the Russian side executing Ukrainian prisoners on a camera, torturing them and everything else. So, it’s very hard to approach because there’s so much hatred has been caused by this. And, of course, Ukraine is trying to create all the conditions.
“You know, I would not exclude incidents, everything might happen, and all that cases should be probably, you know, investigated properly, and everything. I would never say 100% that everything is always clear from bother. But, in general, conditions are met, when we talk about Geneva Convention and, uh, the art of doing the war or those conditions, that had been established in Geneva.”

For a Context

– Article 2(4) of the UN Charter states that “all members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations”; this de-jure prohibits war, especially a war of aggression, with a large gap of allowed “self-defense” that any aggressor claims; https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter

– ZMINA (Ukrainian human rights portal): The report of the Amnesty International Ukraine does not mention Russian prisoners of war, as Ukraine does not violate the Geneva Conventions

– Le Monde: UN report says Russian prisoners of war were subjected to ill-treatment. These acts of torture, perpetrated by Ukrainians, did, however, stop when the captives were transferred to official prisons, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

– UN, Committee against Torture, Concluding observations on the seventh periodic report of Ukraine (CAT/C/UKR/CO/7, April 2025): The Committee notes the State party´s commitment and measures taken to abide by international humanitarian law and international human rights law in the context of the ongoing armed conflict and occupation; it is concerned by reports indicating: (a) Allegations of torture, including sexual violence, ill-treatment, threats, humiliation, as well as illegal deprivation of life and deaths in custody of Russian prisoners of war, allegedly committed by the Ukrainian armed forces and military police mainly in unofficial or transit places in several regions prior to their internment, although it notes the State party’s denial of the existence of such unofficial places; … (d) Alleged abuses committed by enlistment officers towards civilians and conscripts, including towards conscientious objectors (arts. 1–2, 12-14 and 16).

– UN, Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/58/67, March 2025): Russian authorities committed enforced disappearances and torture as crimes against humanity. Both were perpetrated as part of a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population and pursuant to a coordinated state policy.

Seems like the UN is not only our hope for the abolition of wars, but also still provides more objective reporting than some human rights defenders who

tend to forget that war is not OK and there is a human right to peace.

Both Russian and Ukrainian officials are regularly attacking the UN for inconvenient truths.

Further Reading

Before 2017: Is Amnesty International Promoting War in Syria?

Before 2015: AI Again Refuses to Oppose Wars

Before 2013: AI Explains Why It Won’t Oppose Killer Drones

Before earlier in 2013: Asking Amnesty to Oppose War

And in denial of all of these laws