The IHRM presented an analysis that systematically examines the problem of the erroneous assignment of POW status to military personnel for the first time.
According to the authors of the study, the material is based on appeals from families, analysis of court decisions, and verified cases. In most cases, these are military personnel who went missing while performing combat missions or were taken prisoner, but are officially recorded by the military unit as having left the unit or their positions without permission.
“These are not isolated cases. Formally, a person is considered missing in action even when there is confirmation of their capture or death. In such cases, families are left without payments, without legal protection and with the stigma of MIA on their loved ones,” the authors emphasise.
In the report, IHL experts refer to the story of a soldier whose captivity was confirmed by the International Committee of the Red Cross. At the same time, he officially continued to be considered missing in action by his own military unit. On 24 January 2024, he was to be released during an exchange, but the man died in an Il-76 aircraft shot down over the Belgorod region. Even after the identification of his remains, his status did not change on rehabilitative grounds. The POW status will probably only be removed in connection with his death.
Human rights activists highlight the following key issues:
- lack of proper coordination and information exchange between different authorities;
- imperfect mechanisms for data reconciliation and verification;
- inability of families to independently appeal the status of SAZ.
The IHRC calls for changes in legislation, in particular:
- to give families the right to appeal against POW status;
- to introduce mandatory data verification at the National Information Bureau before granting POW status;
- to increase the responsibility of commanders for incorrect status registration.
For more details, please refer to the analytical report.
This material was prepared with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation. It represents the views of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the International Renaissance Foundation.
