The Belarusian opposition in exile has accused President Alexander Lukashenko of approving the forcible transfer of 2,100 Ukrainian children from at least 15 Russian-occupied Ukrainian cities.
Pavel Latushka, an exiled Belarus former culture minister who now heads National Anti-Crisis Management, a shadow government-like organization created by Belarusian opposition, said he had handed the evidence to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 27.
“Ukrainian children, who were under the guardianship of the Ukrainian state, including orphans, children with disabilities and those whose parents were stripped of their parental rights, have been illegally transferred into the territory of Belarus,” Latushka told The Associated Press.
“The materials handed over to the prosecutors prove that Lukashenko has personally signed the documents under the auspices of the so-called union state of Russia and Belarus that provided a basis for organizing and funding the transfer of Ukrainian children to Belarus.”
Also on June 27, National Anti-Crisis Management released a statement saying it had presented the ICC with evidence that, along with Lukashenko, those involved in the illegal transfers included Belarusian Paralympic athlete Alexey Talay, head of the “WeTogether” organization; Union State of Russia and Belarus State Secretary Dmitry Mezentsev; and Ivan Golovaty, CEO of Belarus’ state-owned Belaruskali enterprise.
They had “committed war crimes in the form of illegal transfer of Ukrainian children from the Russian-occupied territories to Belarus and their re-education,” the statement read.
The National Anti-Crisis Management statement included a video of Ukrainian children attending a pro-Putin propaganda session at the Dubrava camp in Belarus.
The following day, June 28, Lukashenko denied his government was involved in the illegal transfer of children from Ukraine and called Latushka’s allegations “madness.”
Lukashenko said during his press conference:
“I contacted Putin, told him: Let us spend some of the money from the Union State budget on those kids… They want the Criminal Court to charge me over this. What exceptional slimeballs they are! Grasping at straws!”
That is misleading.
Lukashenko admitted to reporters that he had funded a program to bring Ukrainian children to Belarus through the Russia-Belarus union state budget.
He described his involvement with Talay’s WeTogether this way: “He has been going there and back, fetching those kids. He called me a dozen times.”
Talay ostensibly called Lukashenko’s office to elicit support for rehabilitation camps, and the Belarusian president worked out the financing for the initiative with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
While WeTogether is apparently funded by charitable donations and joint Belarusian-Russian government support, recent investigations found deeper ties to government resources. WeTogether hosts events at the Dubrava camp, owned by the Belaruskali enterprise.
Source : VOA News
