>> ALI, THANK YOU FOR YOUR GREAT
REPORTING FROM LVIV.
CONTINUE TO STAY SAFE.
JULIA, I WANT TO TURN TO YOU NOW
AND TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU WROTE
ABOUT THE WAR CRIMES COMMITTED
BY RUSSIAN TROOPS, INCLUDING AN
EXECUTION IN BUCHA.
YOU WRITE, QUOTE, MARCH 4th
RUSSIAN FORCES IN BUCHA ROUNDED
UP FIVE MEN AND SUMMARILY
EXECUTED ONE OF THEM.
SOLDIERS FORCED THE FIVE MEN TO
KNEEL ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD
AND SHOT ONE OF THE MEN IN THE
BACK OF THE HEAD.
HE FELL OVER, THE WITNESS SAID,
THE WOMAN PRESENT AT THE SCENE
SCREAMED.
SO DIFFICULT TO READ THIS.
ARE YOU CONCERNED THAT THIS IS
JUST THE BEGINNING?
ARE WE SEEING THE TIP OF THE
ICEBERG HERE?
>> HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH HAS
DOCUMENTED A NUMBER OF CASES OF
RUSSIAN MILITARY FORCES
COMMITTING APPARENT WAR CRIMES
AGAINST CIVILIANS IN OCCUPIED
AREAS OF UKRAINE.
IN ADDITION TO THE CASE THAT YOU
JUST MENTIONED THAT WE
DOCUMENTED IN BUCHA, WE ALSO DOCUMENTED ANOTHER CASE OF
DOCUMENTED ANOTHER CASE OF
SUMMARY EXECUTIONS WHERE RUSSIAN
SOLDIERS, ACCORDING TO OUR
FINDINGS, ROUNDED UP SIX MEN AND
LATER EXECUTED THEM.
WE SPOKE TO THE MOTHER OF ONE
MEN WHO WAS NEARBY WHEN HIS SON
WAS APPREHENDED.
SHE SAW THE BODIES OF HER SON
AND FIVE OTHER MEN LYING ON THE
OUTSKIRTS OF THE VILLAGE.
SHE WAS TOLD -- SHE RAN AFTER
HER SON AND WAS TOLD BY RUSSIAN
SOLDIERS TO WAIT.
THEN SHE HEARD GUNSHOTS AND
LATER FOUND THEIR BODIES.
THEY COULDN'T BURY THE BODIES
FOR NINE DAYS.
WE ALSO DOCUMENTED A CASE WHERE
RUSSIAN SOLDIERS THREW A SMALL
GRENADE INTO A BASEMENT WHERE
CIVILIANS WERE SHELTERING.
WHEN A WOMAN AND 14-YEAR-OLD
CHILD RAN OUTSIDE, THEY SHOT
THEM.
BOTH OF THEM DIED.
WE DOCUMENTED CASES OF SEXUAL
VIOLENCE.
THIS IS JUST A FEW CASES WE'VE
BEEN ABLE TO DOCUMENT IN DETAIL.
THOSE CASES ARE CLEAR VIOLATIONS
OF INTERNATIONAL LAW, LAWS OF
WAR.
UNFORTUNATELY I THINK THIS IS
JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG.
I THINK IT'S LIKELY THERE WILL
BE MORE CASES LIKE THAT EMERGING
IN THE DAYS AND WEEKS 0TO COME.
>> PRESIDENT BIDEN STOPPED SHORT
OF CALLING THIS A GENOCIDE.
DO YOU THINK THIS IS A GENOCIDE
WHAT WE'RE WITNESSING?
>> WE'RE CONSIDERING THIS TO BE
WAR CRIMES.
WE'RE CALLING FOR A THOROUGH
INVESTIGATION OF EACH INCIDENT
OF EXECUTION, EACH INCIDENT OF
SEXUAL VIOLENCE, EACH INCIDENT
OF SHELLING ON CIVILIAN CENTERS.
THEY EACH NEED THOROUGHLY
INVESTIGATED.
>> YOU HEARD PRESIDENT BIDEN
TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF
PRESERVING EVIDENCE FOR
POTENTIAL WAR CRIMES, BUT I
GUESS THE QUESTION IS HOW
DIFFICULT IS IT TO DO THAT IN
THE MIDST OF THIS WAR ZONE?
>> EXACTLY.
I MEAN, WITH THE HORRIFIC IMAGES
WE'RE SEEING FROM BUCHA WE DON'T
KNOW THE EXACT CIRCUMSTANCES OF
HOW SOME OF THESE PEOPLE WERE
KILLED.
SOME OF THEM MAY HAVE BEEN
VICTIMS OF SUMMARY EXECUTIONS,
ESPECIALLY THE CASES WHERE WE
CLEARLY SEE THEIR HANDS ARE
TIED.
SOME OF THEM MAY HAVE BEEN
KILLED DURING RUSSIAN SHELLING.
SOME OF THEM MAY HAVE BEEN
CAUGHT IN CROSS FIRE.
SOME MIGHT HAVE BEEN TRYING TO
EVACUATE.
EACH BODY HAS ITS OWN STORY.
IN TERMS OF UNCOVERING MASS
GRAVES IN BUCHA AND ELSEWHERE,
SITES LIKE THAT SHOULD BE
TREATED AS CRIME SCENES.
ANY MASS GRAVE SHOULD BE PROTECTED AND PRESERVED TO
PROTECTED AND PRESERVED TO
ENSURE THAT PROFESSIONAL EX HUE
MAGS CAN TAKE PLACE.
THAT WILL BE CRUCIAL FOR
INVESTIGATION GOING FORWARD.
>> EVEN IF THERE IS A WAR CRIMES
TRIAL, IT'S DIFFICULT TO HAVE
SOMEONE LIKE VLADIMIR PUTIN BE
PUNISHED.
DO YOU ANTICIPATE THAT COULD
ULTIMATELY HAPPEN GIVEN THE
ENORMITY OF THE ATROCITIES YOU
HAVE LAID OUT HERE?
>> THERE ARE A NUMBER OF AVENUES
THAT ARE OPEN FOR JUSTICE AND
ACCOUNTABILITY IN UKRAINE.
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ONES
IS INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
WHICH STARTED AN INVESTIGATION
INTO EVENTS OCCURRING DURING
THIS CONFLICT.
ANOTHER AVENUE IS AN INDEPENDENT
COMMISSION OF INQUIRY SET UP BY
THE U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL.
UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION WHERE
COUNTRIES CAN START THEIR OWN
INVESTIGATIONS AND EVENTUALLY
PROSECUTION WITHOUT THE CRIME
BEING COMMITTED ON THE OTHER
HAND THEIRON THEIR TERRITORY.
ALL THESE AVENUES ARE AVAILABLE
AND I'M SURE MORE WILL APPEAR TO
MAKE SURE THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR
THESE ATROCITIES ARE HELD
ACCOUNTABLE.
>> HOW DO YOU EXPECT COUNTRIES
LIKE THE U.S. AND EUROPEAN
COUNTRIES WILL RESPOND TO YOUR
REPORT WHICH LAID BARE THESE WAR
CRIMES?
>> IT'S IMPORTANT TO TELL THE
STORIES OF THE PEOPLE WE TALK
TO.
YOU KNOW, WE DO VERY THOROUGH
DOCUMENTATION.
WE CORROBORATE EACH ACCOUNT.
WE HAVE
WE GET MULTIPLE WITNESSES, DO
VERY THOROUGH RESEARCH.
THE THING I SEE AS INCREDIBLY
IMPORTANT IS TELLING THE STORIES
IN THE VOICES OF THE PEOPLE WHO
LIVE AND CONTINUE TO LIVE
THROUGH THIS NIGHTMARE.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TELLING