Maria Lvova-Belova is the subject of an arrest warrant for the “war crime of illegal deportation” of Ukrainian minors.
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Published on 05/04/2023 20:05
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Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova during a press conference in Moscow April 4, 2023. (SEFA KARACAN / ANADOLU AGENCY / AFP)
They slammed the door. Representatives of several members of the UN Security Council walked out of a meeting on Ukraine hosted by Russia on Wednesday when the Russian President’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova appeared via video conference.
Representatives from the United States, United Kingdom, Malta and Albania left the room, while representatives from the other 11 members stayed behind. For her part, Maria Lvova-Belova denounces a “discredit campaign” against her country.
The International Criminal Court in March issued a historic arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Children’s Ombudsman, blaming them for the “war crime of illegal deportation” of Ukrainian minors. Kiev has accused Russia of “kidnapping” more than 16,000 children from Ukraine since the offensive began a year ago. Russia claims to have “rescued” these children from the fighting and put in place procedures to reunite them with their families.
Russia “abuses its privileges”
In a joint statement, some fifty countries, including France, the United States, Japan, Switzerland, Ukraine and Guatemala, accused Russia of “abusing its powers and privileges as a permanent member of the UN Security Council to spread misinformation about its widespread kidnappings.” and illegal forced deportations of thousands of Ukrainian children.”
“Ukrainian propaganda and Western media have deliberately and thoroughly distorted the situation, saying that it is a crime to save these children from the bombings,” Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassili Nebenzia said on Wednesday, assuring earlier this meeting had been planned “long before” the ICC’s “stupid” decision.
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