Vienna, Mar. 31, (dpa/GNA) – Allegations of the forced deportation of Ukrainian children by Russia will be investigated within the framework of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), 45 member states announced on Thursday.
The 45 countries, in consultation with Kiev, invoked the “Moscow Mechanism” and called for a “mission of experts” to investigate the claims, Germany’s OSCE representative Gesa Bräutigam said in a statement.
Information gathered would be provided to “relevant accountability mechanisms” as well as national, regional, or international courts and tribunals, Bräutigam said,
“We continue to have concerns regarding violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law following Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine, particularly with regard to the forced transfer and deportation of children by the Russian Federation.”
The Ukrainian government accuses Moscow of illegally deporting thousands of children from occupied Ukraine to Russia. In December, the OSCE Human Rights Office classified such reports as credible.
In March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Put
responsible for the abduction of children from occupied Ukrainian territories to Russian territory. Russia insists it took the children to safety from the fighting.
GNA