Crimean Human Right Organization detects participation of the Church in militarization of children

Human rights activists have transmitted to the International Criminal Court the evidence of human rights violations and war crimes in the annexed Crimea. This was stated by the coordinator of the Crimean human rights group, Olga Skrypnyk, Religion in Ukraine reports referring to DW and UNN.

“In our opinion, most of the facts outlined in the report should be considered as war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law,” Ms Skrypnik said.

The Crimean human rights group released a report entitled "Human rights in the context of militarization of Crimea", which lists the facts of human rights violations by Russian militaries and representatives of illegal paramilitaries in the territory of the annexed peninsula.

This refers, in particular, to Russia's financial support for the activities of paramilitary organizations, “Cossack groups”, so-called “militias” and “Crimean self-defense”, militarization of education. Human rights activists also reported on the facts of participation in such upbringing of children and youth of the Russian Orthodox Church, whose priests arranged excursions for children to military units.

Ms. Skrypnik has reported that the report prepared by human rights advocates will be distributed through the offices of international organizations and embassies of Western countries, and in many specific cases of violations of human rights in the Crimea an appeal was filed to the ECHR. In addition, the materials were submitted to the Prosecutor's Office of the International Criminal Court.

“We have a team that works on the spot and helps in gathering evidence, there are many photos and video footage that were posted on the Internet, often people give evidence and publish them on social networks. We also analyze documents, decrees and regulatory acts of the Russian occupation authorities and local Crimean administration, which confirm the policy of militarization of the peninsula,” she said.

As it was reported, on August 14, Ivan Fedirko, a citizen of Ukraine, who was sentenced in the occupied Crimea, declared a hunger strike in the Russian penal colony.