Today in Strasbourg, during the European Parliament’s plenary session, a debate was held titled “Russian War Crimes in Ukraine: Supporting Ukraine and Upholding Justice.” In the discussion, which was preceded by a statement from the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, PiS MEP Michał Dworczyk took the floor.
The PiS MEP strongly condemned the actions of Russian security forces against Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians. As he noted, “the way in which Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians held in captivity—who have been unlawfully deprived of their liberty and are being held in Russian prisons—or perhaps more accurately, torture chambers—are being treated —is undoubtedly a war crime and a crime against humanity.” In this context, he referred to a report published this month by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, which points to a significant increase in cases of torture, rapes, and executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war, as well as a series of serious violations of international humanitarian law. The PiS MEP emphasized that Russian crimes affect all social groups without exception: ordinary citizens—regardless of age or gender—government officials, artists, and journalists. “Unfortunately, Russian brutality also affects Ukrainian children, who are being abducted from their Ukrainian families and taken to Russia,” said Dworczyk, stressing that the European Parliament cannot downplay this dramatic information by “merely making a passing reference to it in individual statements by group representatives.”
At the conclusion of his remarks, the PiS MEP called for the situation of Ukrainian prisoners of war, civilians, and children to be formally included on the agenda of the May session and for the European Parliament to adopt an appropriate resolution. “I believe this issue is so important that it should be the subject of a broad debate and the adoption of an appropriate resolution,” he emphasized.
