The Strasbourg-based Council of Europe human rights watchdog on Wednesday rejected referendums “held at gunpoint by occupying forces” in several Ukrainian regions, urging the end of the war on the continent. “We reject this mockery of democracy and reaffirm our commitment to the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of our member state Ukraine within its internationally-recognised borders,” said the secretary general of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić.
