U.N. chief puts Israel and Russia 'on notice' over conflict-related sexual violence accusations

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Israel and Russia on Tuesday that he has significant concerns about patterns of certain forms of sexual violence by their armed and security forces.

UNITED NATIONS — United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Israel and Russia on Tuesday that he has significant concerns about patterns of certain forms of sexual violence by their armed and security forces, according to a report seen by Reuters.

The alleged crimes included incidents of genital violence, prolonged forced nudity of captives, and abusive and degrading strip searches aimed at humiliation and interrogation.

In his annual report to the Security Council on conflict-related sexual violence, Guterres put Israel and Russia “on notice” that they could be listed next year among parties “credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape or other forms of sexual violence.”

The warning resulted from “significant concerns regarding patterns of certain forms of sexual violence that have been consistently documented by the United Nations,” he wrote.

Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon described the concerns as baseless accusations.