US State Department concerned over UN official's meeting with Russian Children's Rights Commissioner
The US is "deeply concerned" over the meeting between Virginia Gamba, the special representative of the UN Secretary General for children and armed conflict, and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, who has been accused of forcible deportation of Ukrainian children and is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Source: Matthew Miller, spokesman for the US Department of State, during a press briefing on 24 May
Details: "[W]e are deeply concerned that a senior UN diplomat met with a fugitive subject to an ICC arrest warrant for committing war crimes against children," Miller said.
He stressed that the Russian Federation was forcibly deporting children from Ukraine, denying parents and legal guardians access to those children, and giving children from Ukraine Russian passports "in an attempt to take away a part of their identity".
"Children are among the most vulnerable groups. They must be protected, especially in times of war. And we continue to [...] call for accountability for war crimes," he said.
Previously: Last week, Lvova-Belova said she held a work meeting with Gamba.
In March, the Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, in relation to war crimes concerning forcible deportation and unlawful transfer of Ukrainian children.
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