Lubinets comments on situation involving evacuated orphans from Dnipro
A criminal investigation into the situation surrounding the orphaned children evacuated to Turkey at the beginning of the full-scale invasion has also been opened on Turkish territory.
According to an Ukrinform correspondent, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, stated this in response to a question about why there had been no public report following the monitoring visit of the Ombudsman's Office to Turkey.
"When we received information about violations of the rights of our children who were evacuated after the start of the full-scale aggression, we conducted a number of monitoring visits, not only to Turkey. We also visited several European countries: Germany, Poland, Slovakia. Wherever we identified rights violations, we responded by submitting official reports to the relevant Ukrainian authorities. We appealed to law enforcement agencies, including in the case of the situation in Turkey, where criminal proceedings were opened," he said.
Lubinets noted that the Ombudsman's Office has not yet closed the investigation related to the situation involving the children who were in Turkey. Therefore, monitoring reports from the visit cannot be published at this time. He added that the materials documented by his office contained a significant amount of personal data, which also influenced the decision not to release the report.
"All those who committed offenses, including among Turkish citizens, must face punishment. Criminal proceedings are underway not only in Ukraine but also in Turkey," he emphasized.
He added that since 2022, his office has been systematically conducting monitoring of institutional care facilities. Numerous rights violations have been uncovered. According to Lubinets, the office responded through legal action.
"In some cases, criminal investigations were opened; in others — disciplinary proceedings. In some facilities, management was dismissed; in some cases, children were returned to their parents or to new families," he said.
As Ukrinform reported, at the end of November a documentary investigation was released about roughly 3,500 orphaned children who, at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, were taken from Dnipropetrovsk region abroad for evacuation to Turkey in an effort coordinated by the charitable foundation of businessman Ruslan Shostak. The film shows that in Turkey the children were subjected to psychological and physical abuse, and two underage girls returned home pregnant by Turkish men.
As a result of the Ombudsman's Office's monitoring visit regarding violations of children's rights during the evacuation to Turkey, a criminal case was opened in Ukraine concerning the improper performance of duties related to the protection of children's lives and health. However, the case was closed after a year because no crime was established.
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