PACE on Russian aggression: Ukraine once again faces threat of genocide
Photo: PACE meeting room (wikimedia commons org User Boston)
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), in its resolution marking the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor in Ukraine, has warned of the threat of a new genocide due to Russia’s aggression, according to PACE.
In a press release, the Assembly stated that "ninety years on from the Holodomor, Stalin's genocide by artificial famine which resulted in the deaths of millions of Ukrainians in 1932-33, Ukraine again faces the threat of genocide."
PACE called on all governments to help the Ukrainian people "fight off the ongoing genocidal assault against their nation."
A report by German parliamentarian Knut Abraham was unanimously approved during its presentation to the Assembly on October 3, leading to the adoption of the resolution.
PACE noted that in the context of Russia’s full-scale invasion, there is evidence of an intent to "deny the Ukrainian people's very right to exist as an independent nation."
Parliamentarians cited the following as evidence of this new threat of genocide:
- Mass killings in Bucha and Irpin in the Kyiv region;
- The use of heavy weaponry by Russian forces in densely populated areas;
- Deliberate strikes on civilian infrastructure;
- "Filtering out" and torture of Ukrainians;
- Systematic destruction of Ukraine’s spiritual and cultural heritage;
- The use of food as a weapon and the forced deportation of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children.
PACE's statement urged all member states of the Council of Europe, observers, and partners to "make use of all instruments at their disposal, including under the Genocide Convention, to prevent any further acts of genocide against the Ukrainian people as a national group."
The resolution also suggested that the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court "consider examining the reported allegations of genocide against the Ukrainian people."
Earlier reports indicated that on October 2, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution concerning Ukrainian prisoners of war. PACE will work towards their return.
It is also worth recalling that at the end of June, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) adopted a resolution recognizing Russia's actions as genocide against the Ukrainian people. The document also underscores the necessity of decolonizing Russia.
