Ukrainian ombudsman invites foreign colleagues to discuss new approaches to work
Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets invites foreign colleagues to discuss new approaches to work, including the issues of visiting places where prisoners of war are kept.
"I propose to start a dialogue. In order to start a discussion at the level of world ombudsman organizations and between us, perhaps, the creation of new approaches, new missions to visit places of detention of prisoners of war, discussion of the consequences of any aggression that occurs in the world, primarily... on the territory of Ukraine," Lubinets said at the conference of ombudsmen and national human rights institutions titled "The battle for human rights. Crimea. Ukraine. Peace" in Zagreb on Wednesday.
According to Lubinets, Ukraine sets an example of decent treatment of Russian prisoners of war and the International Committee of the Red Cross can check this at any time.
"While Russia does not allow any representatives of the UN or representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross into the places of detention of Ukrainian prisoners of war. And we always raise this issue: if Russia violates the Geneva Conventions, please, international organizations, fix it, show it, talk about it. Under the guise of neutrality, unfortunately, we are bleaching the actions of aggression," the Ukrainian ombudsman said.
Lubinets drew attention to the fact that the National Committee of the Red Cross of Russia openly collects assistance to the military of the Russian army, thereby violating one of the basic principles of the international Red Cross community - neutrality.
"What is the reaction? No. Even words of condemnation do not come from the lips of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent," Lubinets said.
He recalled that there was also no reaction when, after the annexation of Crimea, the Russian organization of the Red Cross stole the property of the Red Cross of Ukraine.
"You either fight for human rights, or by your neutrality you justify the actions of the aggressor," Lubinets said.
