Ombudsman: It's important partners consider Russia's crimes against Ukrainian children
The Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets is ouraged by information that Russia could send kidnapped Ukrainian children to "re-education" camps, particularly, in North Korea.
"Russia continues to systematically violate international humanitarian law by illegally deporting Ukrainian children. And shocking information has recently appeared. According to the Regional Center for Human Rights, 165 camps have been recorded in which Ukrainian children are Russified and militarized. They are located in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, in Russia, Belarus and even in North Korea," he said in the Telegram channel on Thursday.
The ombudsman said the forced transfer of children, their Russification, and militarization is a gross violation of international humanitarian law. In addition, the forcible transfer of children from one group to another is one of the five signs of genocide according to the Rome Statute.
"Russia does not care about the fate of Ukrainian children. For the aggressor country, this is simply a resource for future wars against the Western world. It is important that our partners take into account each such case and contribute to bringing the perpetrators to justice," Lubinets said.
On December 3, during a hearing in the U.S. Senate, an expert from the Regional Center for Human Rights, Kateryna Rashevska, said Russia illegally takes kidnapped Ukrainian children from temporarily occupied territories to "re-education" camps that operate not only in Russia and Belarus, but also in North Korea.
