WHO gathers evidence for possible war crimes investigation against Russia

KYIV, Could 7 (Reuters) – The Earth Health and fitness Group (WHO) is gathering proof for a possible war crimes investigation into assaults it suggests it has documented by Russia on health care facilities in Ukraine, it stated in Kyiv on Saturday.

WHO Emergencies Director Mike Ryan, on an unannounced take a look at together with WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, instructed a news convention it was the express responsibility of warring get-togethers to avoid attacking health services, however the WHO had currently documented 200 assaults on hospitals and clinics in the state.

“Intentional assaults on health care services are a breach of international humanitarian regulation and as this kind of – based mostly on investigation and attribution of the assault – stand for war crimes in any problem,” Ryan stated.

“We go on to document and bear witness to these attacks … and we belief that the U.N. program and the Intercontinental Felony Court docket and other individuals will acquire the important investigations in buy to assess the legal intent driving these attacks.”

Russia has denied previous accusations by Ukraine and Western nations of feasible war crimes and has also denied targeting civilians in the war.

Ryan claimed the 200 conditions did not symbolize the totality of assaults on Ukrainian clinical services, only those the WHO had verified. Kyiv has explained there have been all-around 400 these attacks given that Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday that Russian troops experienced wrecked or harmed practically 400 health care establishments in Ukraine. go through more

Tedros told the same news convention: “My message to all the persons of Ukraine is this: ‘WHO stands by you’ … We proceed to call on the Russian Federation to cease this war.”

WHO member states will on Tuesday think about a resolution against Russia that involves the probable closure of a key regional office in Moscow, a doc attained by Reuters confirmed very last Thursday.

The draft resolution stops quick of harsher sanctions such as suspending Russia from the U.N. international well being agency’s board, as nicely as a temporary freeze of its voting rights, 3 diplomatic and political resources reported.

The draft, prepared mainly by EU diplomats and submitted to the WHO’s regional business for Europe this week, follows a ask for by Ukraine signed by at least 38 other users like Turkey, France and Germany.

Moscow phone calls its steps considering that Feb. 24 a “specific armed service operation” to disarm Ukraine and rid it of what it calls anti-Russian nationalism fomented by the West. Ukraine and the West say Russia released an unprovoked war of aggression.

Writing by Kevin Liffey Modifying by Andrew Cawthorne and David Holmes

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