WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States calls on the Kiev government to conduct a transparent probe into human rights allegations committed by Ukraine forces outlined by a UN report, US State Department spokesperson Mark Toner told reporters on Friday.
"We also call on the government of Ukraine to ensure a prompt and thorough and transparent investigation and appropriate prosecution of all persons responsible for alleged incidents of abuses perpetuated by its own forces," Toner stated.
Presenting the report, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic said that the Security Service of Ukraine, the SBU, was responsible for hundreds of illegal detentions and torture.
Simonovic also noted that Kiev’s systematic disregard for human rights needs to be urgently addressed.
When asked about Kiev’s incomplete probe of the massacre of civilians in Odessa two years ago, Toner said Washington’s positon has not changed.
"We have been very clear since the immediate aftermath of that tragedy [in Odessa] that we believe it should be… fully investigated by the Ukrainian authorities," Toner claimed. "And we continue that."
Last month, Ukraine's new Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko promised to personally examine the investigation into the 2014 Odessa massacre.
