20/03/2022 11:15

Russian terrorists kidnap Mariupol residents and forcibly transport them to Russia

In recent days, several thousand Mariupol residents have been deported to Russia.  These are people from the Left Bank district of the city and the bomb shelter in the building of the sports club, where more than a thousand people (mostly women and children) hid from the constant bombing.

Fighting took place in these areas.  To save the lives of Mariupol residents, the Armed Forces of Ukraine withdrew from crowded places, which was used by the aggressor.

It is known that the captured Mariupol residents were taken to filtration camps, where the occupiers checked people's phones and documents.  After the inspection, some Mariupol residents were transported to Taganrog and from there sent by rail to various economically depressed cities in Russia.

Our citizens have been issued papers that require them to be in a certain city.  They have no right to leave it for at least 2 years with the obligation to work at the specified place of work. The fate of others remains unknown.

The abduction and forced displacement of the occupied territories are a gross violation of Articles 3 and 34 of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

I call on the world community and international partners to respond to this fact and use every opportunity to increase sanctions against the terrorist state of the Russian Federation for the release of Ukrainian citizens and the withdrawal of terrorist troops from all over Ukraine.