Vienna 6/2/2022
Yesterday the American ZeroHedge published an article: Ukraine Fires Own Human Rights Chief For Perpetuating Russian Troop ‘Systematic Rape’ Stories.
For over the past two months, an avalanche of stories have hit Western mainstream press which purported to document instances of mass rape carried out by Russian troops against Ukrainian civilians. One particular story in Time took off, driving outrage and condemnation by Western officials and receiving repeat coverage on CNN and other major US networks.
It alleged “a systemic, coordinated campaign of sexual violence” – relying chiefly on testimony gathered by Ukraine’s appointed top human rights representative. Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Lyudmyla Denisova said that 25 teenage girls were kept in a basement in Bucha and gang-raped; nine of them are now pregnant. Elderly women spoke on camera about being raped by Russian soldiers. The bodies of children were found naked with their hands tied behind their backs, their genitals mutilated. Those victims included both girls and boys…
Many such stories which presented ever-more horrifying details as the war progressed quickly went viral, particularly among pro-Ukraine activists on Twitter and other social media, to the point where prominent pundits would begin casually agreeing amongst themself that Russians simply are “animals”.
On May 25, a number of media outlets and NGOs published an open appeal to Lyudmila Denisova calling for improved communication on sexual crimes during the war. The signatories insist that Denisova should disclose only information about which there is sufficient evidence, avoid sensationalism and excessive detail in their reports, use correct terminology and take care of the confidentiality and safety of victims. “Sexual crimes during the war are family tragedies, a difficult traumatic topic, not a topic for publications in the spirit of the ‘scandalous chronicle.’ We need to keep in mind the goal: to draw attention to the facts of crimes,” the appeal reads.
And now on Tuesday, Interfax, Politico, The Wall Street Journal, and others are reporting that Lyudmyla Denisova has been fired.
However, you will not find the real reasons for this decision there. The lack of any reason to proclaim the sick, erotic fantasies of Ms. Denisova, who so successfully persuaded Western opinion against the “barbaric” Russian army, is completely ignored.
On Tuesday, a post appeared on Twitter where we can read:
Ukraine’s parliament just fired human rights ombudsman Lyudmila Denisova. MPs claimed her work focusing on the rape of Ukrainians by Russian troops which “couldn’t be confirmed with evidence […] only harmed Ukraine and distracted the global media from Ukraine’s real needs.”
It is not easy to uncover the truth in a situation where we are even being overwhelmed with information about crimes that turned out to be the product of Ms. Denisova’s overflowing imagination. She was unable to provide testimonies.
It is difficult to rule out such crimes on both sides of the conflict. However, let’s be careful not to succumb to artificially generated emotions, which of course only promote one, the “good” side. Propaganda always reveals a carefully chosen part of the truth. The rest is either fake or unspoken.
Author of the article: Marek Wojcik