ICC Communications

This Communication has been prepared following Article 15 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court by two non-governmental organizations, the Regional Center for Human Rights and the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, based on the research carried out and the facts collected by these organizations for the period from February 24 to September 30, 2022. It contains a description and evidence of one of the grave human rights violations committed by the Russian Federation Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, against the Ukrainian children under Russian occupation in connection with their illegal adoption by Russian citizens. This action has elements of the crime of genocide against the Ukrainian nation.

This Communication has been prepared following Article 15 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court by two non governmental organizations, the Regional Center for Human Rights and the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, with the assistance of the charitable fund Save Ukraine. The Communication contains a description and evidence of the unjustifiable delay in the repatriation of Ukrainian children. This delay is seen as a purposeful policy of Russian senior officials aimed at retaining these children in Russian-controlled territory permanently. The submission sets out the details of the unjustifiable delay, which has been ongoing from February 24, 2022 to the date of submission of this Communication. According to the authors of the Communication, the unjustifiable delay in the repatriation of Ukrainian children has both the characteristics of a war crime and a crime against humanity. It also indicates the special intent of senior officials of the Russian Federation to commit the crime of genocide in
the form of the forcible transfer of Ukrainian children to the Russian national group.

This Submission has been prepared following Article 15 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is an Addendum to the Communication sent to the Court on October 25, 2022 by two non-governmental organizations, the Regional Center for Human Rights and the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention. The October 25, 2022 Communication contained a description and evidence of the crime of genocide against the Ukrainian nation, committed by Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian Federation Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights, through the forcible transfer of Ukrainian children to Russian families during the period from February 24 to September 30, 2022. This Addendum concerns the imposition of Russian citizenship and identity on orphans and children deprived of parental care who lived in boarding institutions as of February 24, 2022. According to the authors of the submission, the actions described herein committed by the high-ranking officials of Russia testify to the existence of a specific intent to commit the crime of genocide in the form of the forcible transfer of minors to the Russian national group and are one of the main means for simplifying and speeding up such transfer.