Ukraine’s Dmytro Lubinets leaves European Ombudsman Institute due to illegal transfer of Ukrainian children from Austria to Russia

Dmytro Lubinets informed about this on Telegram. 

The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets sent an urgent letter of withdrawal from the European Ombudsman Institute:

"This step was the result of the fact that two Ukrainian children, who were in the territory of the Republic of Austria because of Russian armed aggression, were taken to the territory of the Russian Federation by a 'human rights defender of the European Ombudsman Institute (EOI)'. According to media reports, this was done by Dr. Josef Siegele, Secretary General of the EOI, a member of the EOI Board and Deputy Ombudsman of Tyrol," Lubinets said.

He also noted that the Austrian authorities have launched an official investigation into Josef Siegele's actions:

"This is a violation of Articles 49 and 50 of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, which prohibit the forced relocation or deportation of persons from the occupied territory and impose on the occupying power the obligation to take all necessary measures to facilitate the procedure for identifying children and registering their family ties," the Ombudsman emphasized.

• Earlier, during a meeting in Strasbourg with Jeroen Schokkenbroek, Director of Anti-Discrimination in the Directorate General of Democracy of the Council of Europe, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets discussed the deportation of Ukrainian children.