World will not tolerate impunity for deportation of Ukrainian children – Kostin

"The reaction of the international community, in particular the arrest warrants issued by the ICC for Putin and Lvova-Belova, shows that the world will not tolerate impunity for these serious crimes [deportation of Ukrainian children]," Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said during the event "Deported Ukrainian children: The way home and toward justice" which took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the Prosecutor General's Office posted on Facebook.

Kostin stressed that the deportation of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children was a deliberate strategy of the Russian regime for which its leaders must be held to account.

According to him, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine clearly stated that the displacement of Ukrainian children cannot be explained by health or safety concerns. "The Commission draws attention to the fact that this is happening without the consent of their parents or other guardians, as required by law," the Prosecutor General noted.

He underscored that Ukraine considered these actions a violation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and Additional Protocol I to it.

Kostin noted that those actions could also amount to the crime of genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which expressly prohibits the forcible transfer of children from one group to another.

Separately, the Prosecutor General said that Ukraine was working on the development of an international mechanism that would allow to stop deportations, recognize all adoption or change of citizenship decisions as illegal, and guarantee the return of all Ukrainian children.

Photo: Prosecutor General’s Office