U.S. Helsinki Commission hearings - Eyewitness Accounts: Ukrainian Children and Adult Civilians Abducted by Russia
31 January 2024 21:28
Ambassador Oksana Markarova participated at the U.S. Helsinki Commission Hearings "Eyewitness Accounts: Ukrainian Children and Adult Civilians Abducted by Russia"
Russia’s abduction of thousands of Ukrainian children and adult civilians as part of its war on Ukraine calls for urgent U.S. and international action to both save Ukraine’s children and civilians and to hold Russia accountable for its war crimes.
Pia Kauma, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Andriy Kostin, Prosecutor General
of Ukraine (via video), Dmytro Lubinets, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, and Mykola Kuleba, head of Save Ukraine / Спасемо Україну, were among the speakers at the hearing.
Civilian prisoner Oleksandr Korzun, along with children Denys, Ksenia, and Rostyslav, bravely shared their stories of abduction by russians and their return to Ukraine. These children represent the thousands seeking justice and the possibility to return home, symbolizing Ukraine's future.
russia's crimes against Ukrainian children, ongoing since the occupation of Crimea in 2014, are part of a well-organized effort within the russian state system. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued a life-long arrest warrant against president putin and maria lvova-belova.
The Ukrainian government has documented close to 20,000 cases of children taken to Russia or Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine for forced russification and assimilation, a war crime under the Geneva Convention that could amount to genocide. In response, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Russian President Putin and Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova. The Ukrainian government also estimates that up to 10,000 adult civilians may have been detained or used by the Russian military for forced labor, in contravention of international law. Media reports that many of these innocent civilians may have been tortured and later spuriously charged with transgressions as minor as speaking Ukrainian, as well as that the Russian government is planning to build numerous new detention centers in areas of Ukraine it currently illegally occupies.
russia engages in ideological indoctrination by illegally placing Ukrainian children in foster families and granting citizenship without proper legal procedures. This is a part of russia's attempt to erase Ukrainian identity, and it is a form of genocide.
It's crucial to prevent these war crimes in the future. With the support of the U.S. Congress, especially through vital legislative initiatives on the Supplemental Budget and frozen assets seizure, we can bring victory closer and bring our children back home.
The U.S. Helsinki Commission, a bipartisan group in the U.S. Congress, has shown exceptional leadership in supporting Ukraine and shedding light on russian war crimes in Ukraine
Watch the hearing http://tinyurl.com/4m8vbrcb
Watch the hearing http://tinyurl.com/4m8vbrcb
