{"id":76649,"date":"2026-07-15T12:30:39","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T10:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/europa-in-verantwortung-2\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T13:26:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T11:26:19","slug":"europes-responsibility-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/ge\/europes-responsibility-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Europe\u2019s responsibility"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Europa

From left to right: Heinz Thoma, spokesperson for cultural and social policy for the SPD group on Eschweiler City Council; Kateryna Kravchenko and Lina Shreim from the Blau-Gelbes Kreuz; Valerio Kr\u00fcger from the ISHR; the musician Olga Hryhoruk; Andrea Wolff, President of the GPB European Association; Artem Kryvulia from the ISHR; and the musician Oleksii.<\/p><\/div>\n

Europe\u2019s responsibility:<\/h1>\n

Shining a light on human rights violations in Ukraine<\/strong>
\nAt an event held on 7 July 2026 in Eschweiler, the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR), the European Association GPB and the Blue and Yellow Cross provided information on serious human rights violations in frontline and occupied areas of Ukraine. The focus was on targeted drone attacks on civilians in Kherson and the abduction of Ukrainian civilians by Russian occupying forces.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Under the title \u201cEurope\u2019s Responsibility\u201d<\/strong>, a large number of interested members of the public gathered at the Kirschenhof \u2013 Haus der Geschichte in Eschweiler on 7 July. The event explored the question of what Europe can do to effectively counter human rights violations in frontline and occupied areas of Ukraine.<\/p>\n

The evening was opened by Andrea Wolff, President of the Europaverein GPB e. V., and Heinz Thoma, spokesperson for cultural and social policy for the SPD group on Eschweiler City Council. The event was accompanied by music from Olga Hryhoruk, and Lina Shreim acted as comp\u00e8re.<\/p>\n

\u2018Human Safari\u2019 in Kherson<\/h3>\n

Dr Kateryna Kravchenko from the Blue and Yellow Cross reported on the so-called \u2018Human Safari\u2019 in Kherson. Drones loaded with explosives are specifically targeting pedestrians, cyclists, emergency services personnel and vehicles carrying civilians. The attacks are filmed by the perpetrators and, in some cases, published by them.<\/p>\n

This form of terror demonstrates the brutality and contempt for human life with which the Russian armed forces are targeting the Ukrainian civilian population. It also makes it clear why international attention and sustained political pressure remain essential.<\/p>\n

Ukrainian civilians who have been abducted<\/h3>\n

Artem Kryvulia spoke on behalf of the IGFM about the plight of abducted Ukrainian civilians. His presentation focused on the case of Serhii Sergeev<\/a>, a mechanic from the Kharkiv region.<\/p>\n

On 3 March 2022, Sergeev was beaten and forcibly abducted by Russian soldiers. His family subsequently received conflicting reports about his whereabouts. For more than four years, there has been no reliable information about his state of health or whether he is still alive.<\/p>\n

His case is typical of a wider pattern: civilians are taken from their homes, workplaces or at checkpoints, separated from their families, transferred between various places of detention and, in some cases, transported to Russia. The relevant authorities often later deny outright that they are holding the person in question.<\/p>\n

\u201cBehind every figure there is a person. And behind every person, a family is waiting for answers,\u201d emphasised Kryvulia.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For Artem Kryvulia, the presentation was also his first public speech in German. Together with IGFM board spokesperson Valerio Kr\u00fcger, he represented the human rights organisation at the event.<\/p>\n

Interactive exhibition gives a voice to those affected<\/h3>\n

To accompany the event, the IGFM presented an interactive exhibition on Ukrainian civilians who were abducted.<\/p>\n

Visitors were able to scan QR codes on the portraits and listen to the stories of those affected as personal audio accounts told in the first person. In this way, abstract figures were transformed into individual life stories \u2013 of people with families, jobs, hopes and lives that were violently cut short by the deportation.<\/p>\n

Eine dieser Geschichten ist die von Natalia Vlasova<\/a>.\u00a0You can listen to her audio story on the ISHR website<\/a>.<\/p>\n