Mark Ellis about transferring Ukrainian children to Russia: It could clearly be a genocidal act

Mark Stephen Ellis, an expert in international criminal law, executive director of the International Bar Association, speaks about transferring Ukrainian children into Russia and what it means for international law.

He tells about it due to conversation with the host Andriy Kulykov for Ukraine Calling, the English-language podcast from Hromadske Radio in Kyiv.

One of the crimes which Russia commits in Ukraine is deportation of civilians, including the deportation of children. Under international law, it’s possible to transfer children out of a war zone even by the occupying force to protect them. But that is a short-term requirement, mr. Ellis says.

«That’s not the policy we’re seeing undertaken by Russia. It’s a long-term, structured, systematic policy of taking children away from Ukraine, away from their families, away from their parents, relatives, and indoctrinating them back in territory controlled by Russia».

The executive director of the International Bar Association also describes how these actions can be determined by international law and how it can affect Putin.

«That is a war crime, that is also would be consistent for a crime against humanity, and that could clearly be a genocidal act because the genocide convention specifically mentions this type of policy.

The deportation will be added, whether or not the prosecutor thinks there’s sufficient evidence to expand the charges against Mr. Putin for this specific act, and I think there’s a likelihood that you’ll see that».

You may read and listen the full conversation: Indictment Against Putin Will Be Amended, Top International Lawyer Says