Yevheniia Kravchuk: russia's crimes against our culture and identity should also fall under the definition of a broad campaign of genocide against Ukrainians
19 August 2024, 17:00
On 16 August, the Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy Yevheniia Kravchuk spoke at the "Bouquet Kyiv Stage" festival as a speaker at the "Cultural Genocide: From Crime to Punishment" conversation panel.
The MP spoke about the provisions of the resolution she authored "Countering the erasure of cultural identity in time of war and peace", which was adopted by PACE this summer session. "I am pleased that my colleagues have noted the relevance and importance of the document," said Yevheniia Kravchuk.
The participants spoke about the crimes of the russians against everything Ukrainian – about the cultural genocide committed by the aggressor in Ukraine and the temporarily occupied territories. In particular, they raised the issue of ancient Chersonesos, whose original appearance has been grossly destroyed by the enemy. A number of other Crimean monuments are also being destroyed under the guise of "reconstruction".
The dialogue participants also discussed the legal uncertainty associated with the concept of "cultural genocide".
"It's time to start a public discussion on expanding the concept of genocide so that the relevant crimes against culture and identity also fall within the definition of a broad genocidal campaign against Ukrainians," the Deputy Chair of the Committee is convinced.
In addition, they discussed the topic of justice and how to achieve it.
"An important step towards this will be the ratification by the Parliament this week of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which will ensure greater efficiency of our cooperation with the Court. I am grateful to the organisers and participants of the discussion for this important conversation. Preserving our identity is one of the key components of Ukraine's victory," concluded Yevheniia Kravchuk.