The Ombudsman believes that behind the silence of the ICRC lies a cover-up and concealment from the international community of the crimes committed by the Russian Federation.
The International Committee of the Red Cross ignored the appeal of Ukraine to join the Ukrainian delegation to attempt to visit the colony in Yelenovka in the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk region.
The Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for Human Rights Dmitry Lubinets, announced this on the social network Facebook.
The Ombudsman noted that he, together with People's Deputies of Ukraine Maria Mezentseva, Yegor Chernev, Denis Maslov, Olena Khomenko and adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Daria Zarovna, arrived at the border with the occupied territory.
"We planned this visit, as promised from the Ukrainian side, to make together with the International Committee of the Red Cross in order to encourage him to obtain access from Russia to Yelenovka and visit Ukrainian prisoners of war," he added.
According to him, it turned out that it was more difficult for representatives of the ICRC to gain access to Ukrainian prisoners of war than once again publish "calls to both sides" on the pages of their website.
"Despite our call and willingness to provide such a trip, we did not see the ICRC," Lubinets stressed.
The Ombudsman stressed that the Russians continue to torture Ukrainian heroes under the silence of international organizations.
"We do not demand the super-possible. We want things to be named by their proper names - Ukraine allows the ICRC to Russian prisoners of war, and Russia does not allow the ICRC to Ukrainian prisoners of war. The Russians torture and kill Ukrainian prisoners of war, and Ukraine adheres to the norms of the Geneva Conventions," Lubinets stressed.
"It seems that everything is simple. But the ICRC is silent, and behind this silence lies the cover and concealment from the international community of the crimes committed by the Russian Federation," he added.
“This is a war, yes. And it is not safe. But isn’t the ICRC mission created for this, and people from all over the world donate funds for its activities and fulfill the entrusted mandate? Or do they donate funds for maintaining an expensive office in Geneva and salaries for top managers who migrate from one international institution to another, expressing yet another concern and accusing those who demand work from them of violating the principles of neutrality?" the ombudsman said.
- On October 13, Ukraine put forward a demand from the ICRC for three days to send a mission to the colony in occupied Olenevka.
- On October 15, the new ICRC President Mirjana Egger, during a meeting with the head of the OP, Andriy Yermak, said that the Red Cross would continue to demand access to Ukrainian prisoners of war.
