International Criminal Court may investigate Belarus' involvement in deportation of Ukrainian children – spokesperson

Belarus’ suspected involvement in the deportation of Ukrainian children falls under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC), even though Minsk has not signed the Rome Statute.

Source: Radio Liberty, citing ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah at an ICC meeting in The Hague, as reported by European Pravda

Details: El Abdallah stressed that such crimes could have been committed on the territory of Ukraine.

"That is, regardless of whether the children were brought to Russia or elsewhere, such acts may fall under the jurisdiction of the ICC if the abduction itself was at least partially committed on the territory of Ukraine," El Abdallah stated.

Radio Liberty noted that in late September, human rights activists urged the ICC to launch an investigation into Belarus and Russia, citing evidence that hundreds of Ukrainian children have been forcibly moved to Belarus since the onset of the full-scale Russian invasion.

They are being re-educated there to turn them against their homeland, Radio Liberty’s Belarusian Service has reported.

Background:

• Back in June 2023, Lithuanian Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė ordered a pre-trial investigation to be launched into the possible illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Belarus.
• Last year, the European Parliament passed a resolution urging the ICC to issue an arrest warrant for self-proclaimed Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko in connection with the deportation of Ukrainian children.

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