The United States Representative to United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield disturbed by horrors being perpetrated against Ukrainian children over credible reports that indicated Russian officials have orchestrated the transfer, relocation, re-education, adoption, or fostering of thousands of children.
Thomas-Greenfield who disclosed this on Wednesday at a High-Level Side Event on Gross Human Rights violations due to Russia’s Aggression Against Ukraine, said some of these children have been orphaned during this war and some were already living in institutions for serious health needs.
According to her, “In many cases, parents sent children to what they thought were “summer camps” for their child’s safety but were then denied contact and reunification with their children. In other cases, parents refused to send their children to Russia’s “camps,” and Russia’s occupation authorities enrolled them anyway.
“And let’s be clear: this is not some offshoot operation. We’ve evidence that President Putin and the Kremlin are actively engaged in this effort to deny and suppress Ukraine’s identity, their history, and their culture.
“We must call on Russia to end this inhuman campaign; return children to their parents and guardians; provide registration lists of the children it has removed; and allow independent observers to access facilities within Russian-controlled or Russian- occupied areas of Ukraine and inside Russia itself”, she said.
Recall one year ago, Russia launched its unprovoked, illegal, full-scale invasion of Ukraine. That same day, Russian President Putin delivered an outlandish speech in an attempt to justify his war of aggression, told the world he was invading Ukraine to protect Ukrainians from “bloody crimes.”
US Rep to UN who explained that of course, this was a total distortion of reality, said, “It is his own forces that have carried out atrocities against the Ukrainian people. And we’ve just heard about tragic circumstances of POWs and their families.
“As we made clear this week, the United States believes Russian forces have committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine. Crimes against humanity. This is not a determination we make lightly. But in this case, the evidence is overwhelming.
“The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine – established by the Human Rights Council in March of last year and the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, have documented a wide range of atrocities and other abuses committed by Russian forces”, she said.
Thomas-Greenfield noted that the United States condemned credible reports of abuses against persons with disabilities. “Russia’s war of aggression has compounded the significant attitudinal, physical, and environmental barriers faced by persons with disabilities.
“It is that much harder for these Ukrainians to access services – including accessible shelters, safe evacuation options, and health services. Persons with disabilities face disproportionate risks of neglect and abandonment, including by their own families in some cases.
So, we must ensure that when the international community rebuilds from this terrible war, persons with disabilities are at the forefront of decision-making and policymaking at all levels”, she added.
She highlighted the need to renew the mandate of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine at the upcoming HRC session in Geneva.
“Since last March, when Secretary Blinken first determined that Russian forces have carried out war crimes in Ukraine and since the Commission found reasonable grounds to conclude the same the evidence of atrocities and other abuses has continued to mount.
“The Commission must be able to continue its critical work, and I urge the HRC to renew the mandate. There must be accountability for Russia’s atrocities”, she said.
