Red Cross workers from Belarus are said to have taken children from occupied Ukraine out of the country. The umbrella organization of the aid organization distances itself.
Kyiv/Geneva – After Arrest warrants against Russian ruler Vladimir Putin and his child rights officer
Marija Lwova-Belowa could also focus on the Belarusian Red Cross chief Dmitry Shevtsov: his organization is accused of kidnapping children from eastern Ukraine occupied by Russia. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has already requested an arrest warrant. Association colleagues from abroad are also turning away from Schewzow’s organization because of the procedure.
The umbrella organization International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) threw the association in Belarus reserves the right not to comply with its principle of neutrality. According to a statement on Wednesday (July 19), he apparently made it possible for children from eastern Ukraine to be brought to Belarus for an alleged “recreational leave”. Schewzow had recently confirmed the procedure in a television interview.
According to media reports, he had also openly demonstrated his support for Russia, for example when he wore a “Z” on his clothes. The sign is considered a symbol of support for Russia’s war of aggression.
War in Ukraine: Possibly 2,000 children have been abducted to Belarus since the beginning of the war
This behavior clearly contradicts the principle that “all components of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement maintain their independence from governments and weapon carriers,” quoted the dpa from the IFRC statement. The actions of the Belarusian association risk jeopardizing and undermining “trust in our work to support people in need”, from which the international association firmly distanced itself.
According to Belarusian opposition figures, it can be assumed that more than 2,000 Ukrainian children may have been brought to Belarus under duress since the beginning of the war. In his television interview, Shevtsov also admitted to an unspecified number of cases, saying: “We were, are and will be involved in that”. On that basis, the IFRC reported the case to an independent committee investigating violations of the Federation’s principles.
Criticism of the Red Cross in Belarus: there is a system for kidnapping children
Humanitarian aid, especially in times of war, is one of the most important tasks of global aid organizations that are committed to protecting life, health and dignity and promoting the Geneva Conventions. The International Committee of the Red Cross has therefore been involved since the beginning of the conflict in Crimea in 2014 Ukraine war on duty and most recently provided help during the flood disaster after the destruction of the Kachowka dam.
Aid organizations are firmly opposed to the kidnapping of children, allegedly for their own protection or for the purpose of “recreation”. According to international assessments, the accommodation of kidnapped children in supposed “recreational facilities” is part of the systematic program of re-education and forced adoption that Moscow is pursuing. Against Russia’s President Wladimir Putin and his child rights officer
Marija Lwowa-Belowa has therefore had an arrest warrant from the court in The Hague since March. (saka with dpa)
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