“The feeling of impunity leads to new crimes. Justice must be ensured and all perpetrators brought to justice. Justice can only be ensured by the victory of Ukraine," said Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, Head of the Latvian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, on Thursday, 7 March, at the meeting of the Assembly’s Standing Committee, which takes place this time in the French Senate, Paris. The Committee’s debate was dedicated to two years since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.
Members expressed their support for Ukraine and their readiness to support it tirelessly, as well as to bring Russia and all those responsible to account.
“Currently, tens of thousands of Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia and Belarus suffer both mentally and physically every day,” Zalniņa-Lukaševica said, while emphasising that we do not even know what is happening in the occupied territories, but there is no reason to believe that Russian puppets and troops are not currently perpetrating the same atrocities as in Bucha.
Several of these crimes perpetrated by Russia have been committed ten years ago, but the perpetrators still; have not been brought to justice, said the Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, highlighting the need for the establishment of an international tribunal, as well as the need to confiscate frozen Russian funds in order to divert them to Ukraine.
Kalniņa-Lukaševica said that this fight is not just about supporting Ukraine, which defends its freedom. This is the fight for justice and rule of law. We need to defend the values, alliances and structures set up to prevent a recurrence of the conflicts that emerged in Europe in 20th century”.
Kalniņa-Lukaševica participates in the work of the Assembly’s Committee on Political Affairs, Monitoring Committee, Bureau and Standing Committee until 7 March in Paris, France. The Council of Europe consists of 46 member states and six observers. In the Assembly, the countries are represented by members of national parliaments.
Saeima Press Service