The First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniienko held a working meeting with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Turk Volker.
The parties discussed, in particular, the prosecution of the russian federation for the atrocities committed in Ukraine, the establishment of the Special International Tribunal for War Crimes of the russian federation and the violation of human rights and international humanitarian law.
Firstly, the First Vice-Speaker on behalf of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine congratulated Turk Volker on his appointment as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “We are ready to cooperate in such a critically important area as human rights protection”.
“It is important for us to publicly condemn the war crimes of the russian federation by the UN High Commissioner, because the aggressor country destroys civilian infrastructure with missiles and artillery,” stressed Oleksandr Korniienko.
At the same time, the First Deputy Chairman of the Parliament of Ukraine noted that “the most valuable thing is the human lives that russia takes”: “Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the russian armed forces have killed tens of thousands of civilians of Ukraine, including children. What the occupiers are doing does not fit into any understanding of the words of the civilized world.”
In addition, Oleksandr Korniienko noted that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi calls for the establishment of a Special International Tribunal for War Crimes of the russian federation, which will bring the perpetrators to justice. “The Parliament of Ukraine is actively involved in this initiative of the President and is actively working to ensure that the international community takes real steps to create such a tribunal,” he added.
The First Vice-Speaker called on the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to join the crucial mission on the return of Ukrainian children to Ukraine initiated by the President of Ukraine through the mechanisms at its disposal.
“Our country is also extremely concerned about the situation with our prisoners – russia is holding thousands of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians in terrible conditions,” Oleksandr Korniienko emphasized, calling on the international human rights mechanisms to find all possible ways to ensure monitoring of the observance of the rights of Ukrainian prisoners of war in accordance with international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
“All cruelties, murders and tortures of Ukrainians by russian occupants must be stopped, and the perpetrators must be punished for their atrocities,” summed up the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniienko.
The present people’s deputies of Ukraine also discussed with their colleagues the violation of the rights of women, children, forced deportation and genocide of the Ukrainian people, numerous crimes committed by the russian army in the occupied territories, the victims of these crimes, the number of which, unfortunately, is growing every day.
For reference. The meeting was attended by MPs of Ukraine: The Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy Pavlo Sushko, the Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation Maryna Bardina, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Family and Children of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy Tetiana Skrypka, the Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Law Enforcement Vyacheslav Medyanyk.