Crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine must not go unpunished - Mijatovic

Dunja Mijatovic, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, stated this when representing an annual report at a PACE meeting on April 24, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

“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.

This year's report mostly focuses on atrocities committed by the Russian forces in Ukraine.

Mijatovic stated that the protection of human rights in Europe has suffered serious setbacks in 2022. This 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.

As reported by Ukrinform, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will hold an urgent debate on "The situation of Ukrainian civilians, including children, forcibly displaced or transferred to the Russian Federation or Ukrainian territories under the de facto control of the Russian Federation”.