“The appalling crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine must not go unpunished”
When representing an annual report at a PACE meeting on Apr. 24, 2023, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic stated that terrible crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine must not remain unpunished.
“The appalling crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine must not go unpunished. Justice must be done, including through effective cooperation with the International Criminal Court and long-term support for the Ukrainian justice system,” the Commissioner stressed.
Mijatovic stated that the protection of human rights in Europe had suffered serious setbacks in 2022. It includes addressing violations of the human rights of Ukrainian children transferred to the Russian Federation or temporarily occupied territories, some of whom have been given Russian citizenship in blatant violation of international humanitarian law.
In particular, she stated that children, who were separated from their parents due to an emergency humanitarian situation, cannot be considered orphans in any way, so they cannot be adopted. According to Mijatovic, currently, no international human rights organization has access to the territory of Russia.
