CoE calls Russia’s deportation of Ukrainian children 'evidence of genocide’
supplemented
The Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) adopted a resolution on Thursday stating that the forced deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia is evidence of genocide according to international law.
The PACE resolution also calls for investigation of all forcible deportation cases and holding accountable all involved, Ukraine’s delegation member Oleksii Honcharenko said.
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PACE also welcomed the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant for Russian president Vladimir Putin and Russian children's ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova, implicated in the crime.
"This is one of the most important decisions of PACE in this resolution," Mr Honcharenko commented on his Telegram channel.
"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 suspect in war crimes."
In addition, Mr Honcharenko said that his amendment to the resolution was adopted, declaring Belarusian self-proclaimed president Aleksandr Lukashenko involved in the forced deportation of children and adults from the occupied territories of Ukraine.
"That automatically makes Lukashenko guilty of the genocide that Russia is carrying out in Ukraine," the Ukrainian MP added.
In March, the ICC issued a life-long arrest warrant for Mr Putin on suspicion of illegally moving thousands of Ukrainian children from occupied territories.
