Oksana Pokalchuk stepped down last week as head of Amnesty International Ukraine, after the controversial report concluded that the Ukrainian military’s tactics to set up military bases in schools, hospitals and residential areas were putting civilians at risk.

In a Facebook postin which he described his departure, he accused the organization of publishing material that could be construed as supporting the Russian narrative.

– With the aim of protecting civilians, this report has become a Russian propaganda tool, he wrote.

Confirm changes

Pokaltsjuk was actually supposed to visit Norway next week, to take part in Amnesty International’s Norway event during Arendal Week, in a debate about holding war criminals to account.

After his departure, it has been decided that he will no longer be participating in the event. This was confirmed by Amnesty International Norway’s Secretary General, John Peder Egenæs, to Dagbladet.

– Together we have concluded that he will not be coming to Norway, wrote Egenæs in a text message.

– What’s the reason for that?

– It’s about the fact that she no longer has the role she had when this was planned, and that the pressure on her is huge right now.

Putin’s challenge: It will decide

Sweden Amnesty Summit withdraws

On Tuesday, it became known that Per Wästberg, co-founder of Amnesty Sweden, also left the organization after the statements about Ukraine.

– I have now been a member for over 60 years. It is with a heavy heart that, because of Amnesty’s statements regarding the war in Ukraine, I end a long and fruitful engagement, he wrote in a statement to Sweden’s Dagbladet.

Tom Røseth, professor and principal lecturer in intelligence at the Norwegian Defense Academy, said the contents of the report were not very verifiable.

He believed that Russia would use the report to defend attacks against civilians.

– It could lead to more civilian deaths, and give Russia the legitimacy to continue its war uncritically, Røseth told Dagbladet.

Starting an internal investigation

Amnesty International has apologized for the “pain caused” by the report, but at the same time stressed that it supports their findings.

The tactics of the Ukrainian defense forces “absolutely disprove Russia’s indiscriminate attacks”, human rights organizations point out in report.

Secretary General John Peder Egenæs has defended the content. He believes the report is well-founded and meets good standards.

On Friday, he confirmed otherwise Morgenbladet that the report will be reviewed internally.

– There have been heated discussions about internal processes within the organization, and this is something we will see when we launch an internal investigation into this matter, Egenæs told the newspaper.