ICC may investigate Belarus’s role in deporting Ukrainian children

The International Criminal Court (ICC) may investigate Belarus’s role in the deportation of Ukrainian children. Though Minsk has not ratified the Rome Statute that established The Hague-based court, the country’s complicity in crimes against minors falls within the tribunal’s jurisdiction, said court spokesman Fadi El Abdallah, as reported by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).

“Regardless of whether the children were taken to Russia or elsewhere, such actions may fall under the ICC’s jurisdiction if the abduction was partially carried out on Ukrainian territory,” Abdallah said.

Human rights activists in September urged the ICC to investigate the actions of Belarus and Russia, according to journalists. 

Activists reported that hundreds of Ukrainian children have been forcibly taken to Belarus since the onset of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

“There, they are being ‘re-educated’ to turn against their homeland,” stated the Belarusian service of RFE/RL.

Ukrainian human rights center Zmina has identified 18 organizations involved in subjecting at least 2,219 Ukrainian children aged six and older to various forms of “discriminatory pressure.”

On March 17, 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin and his appointed children’s ombudswoman, Maria Lvova-Belova, for the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children.