PACE recognizes deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia as genocide
The relevant resolution was adopted at the spring session of PACE, reports Censor.NЕТ with reference to Ukrinform.
The resolution was supported by 87 votes.
Oleksiy Honcharenko, a member of the Ukrainian delegation, noted that the term genocide was used for the first time in an official document of this level.
He also noted that the Parliamentary Assembly welcomed the decision of the International Criminal Court on the arrest warrant for Russian President Putin and the Russian Children's Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova.
"This is one of the most important decisions of PACE in this resolution. Not all PACE members are countries that have ratified the Rome Statute (the statute under which Putin's arrest was issued). And it is the adoption of this resolution that expands the circle of countries where Putin is officially considered a war crimes suspect. Putin is a wanted war criminal. Now this has been confirmed by PACE," emphasized Honcharenko.
Another member of the Ukrainian delegation, MP Yevhenia Kravchuk, clarified that the resolution:
-Stresses that the facts of deportation and forced displacement of Ukrainian children to the Russian Federation fall under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 1948;
-welcomes the decision of the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Russian "children's ombudsman" Maria Lvova-Belova
-Supports the need to document, collect and evaluate evidence of the crime of genocide;
-Calls on the International Criminal Court to consider prosecuting those responsible for the crime of genocide; calls on participating States to consider prosecuting all crimes in national courts
-Calls for immediate action to stop the deportation of Ukrainian children.
