Slovakia condemns Russian atrocities against women and children in Ukraine

This was reported by the Slovak edition TERAZ.SK.

The parliament also called on the Prosecutor General of the Slovak Republic, Maros Žilinka, to investigate whether the forced relocation of children from Ukraine to Russia is genocide. 

After that, the prosecutor will have to consider whether to initiate criminal proceedings.

"The National Council of the Slovak Republic expresses its extreme indignation at the atrocities, including the illegal deportation of women and children who are being taken against their will to the territory of the Russian Federation, where they face placement in camps, identity changes and other actions that may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity," the declaration reads.

In addition, Slovak MPs called on the government to provide state aid to Ukrainians in their fight against impunity for crimes. At the same time, the deputies demanded that the government, in cooperation with other EU countries, take all necessary steps in international institutions to facilitate the prosecution of Russian officials and all those involved in serious crimes.

The Slovak parliament has expressed its interest in helping Ukraine investigate the most serious crimes committed against civilians. The Slovak parliament also called on international organizations, including the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross, to intensify efforts to return deportees to Ukraine.

In addition, the declaration calls on the Russian Federation to immediately stop the deportation of Ukrainian children and women and return the deportees to Ukraine, as well as "immediately stop the killing, rape and torture of the civilian population of Ukraine."

• On Friday, March 17, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova.
• Representatives of various states and international organizations reacted to the ICC's decision. They were later joined by representatives of the United Kingdom and Canada, who unambiguously supported the court's position.
• Later, US President Joe Biden told reporters that the ICC's arrest warrant for Putin was justified because the Russian president had committed war crimes.

• According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, as of March 21, the number of children deported by Russia could have exceeded 16,000.

• The Ukrainian parliament appealed to the UN and the International Court of Justice to prevent the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.