Latvia and Estonia acknowledged Russia's crimes in Ukraine as genocide of Ukrainian people

Kiev/21.04.22/UNIAN: The Latvian and Estonian parliaments have adopted statements which acknowledged that Russia committed genocide against the Ukrainian people.

The press services of the Latvian Seim and the Estonian Riigikogu report this.

On Thursday, 21 April, the Latvian Seim unanimously adopted a statement on Russian aggression and war crimes in Ukraine. The Seim' statement acknowledges that Russia is currently engaged in genocide against the Ukrainian people.

"The Seim strongly condemns Russia's military aggression and large-scale invasion of Ukraine with the support and participation of the Belarusian regime. The statement stresses that Russia's unjustified invasion of Ukrainian territory is a gross violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and a clear violation of Russia's obligations under the UN Charter and international law," the statement said.

After the statement was adopted, the head of the Seim' committee on foreign affairs, Richard Kohl, called for protecting the population of Ukraine from further crimes against humanity and helping the country to free its land from the occupiers.

"This can only be achieved by an urgent and drastic expansion of arms supplies to Ukraine and an immediate end to fossil energy imports from Russia by the European Union," he stressed.

Also, the Riigikogu adopted a statement submitted by 84 MPs on war crimes and genocide of the Russian Federation in Ukraine. According to the statement, the Riigikogu recognises the actions of the Russian armed forces and military and political leadership as genocide against the Ukrainian people and calls on other parliaments and international organisations to do the same. 

"The Russian Federation has committed acts of genocide, including mass atrocities against civilians in the temporarily occupied territories, in particular in the towns of Bucha, Borodyanka, Gostomel, Irpen and Mariupol, as well as in many other settlements in Ukraine. These include murders, kidnapping, deportation, imprisonment, tortures, rape as well as desecration of corpses," the statement reads.

The Riigikogu also calls for support in investigating Russian crimes and bringing the perpetrators to justice, and to this end, establish an international court in cooperation with the states.

Besides, the Estonian parliament calls on countries around the world to immediately tighten sanctions against Russia, including suspending energy trade with Russia without exception, and to immediately enhance military and critical humanitarian aid to Ukraine.--0-