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Updated October 15th, 2022 at 08:07 IST

UN Chief Antonio Guterres calls on Russia to allow ICRC 'full access' to prisoners of war

The appeal from Antonio Guterres comes after Ukraine also requested ICRC to send a delegation to the prisoner-of-war camp in Olenivka region.

Reported by: Apoorva Kaul
Ukraine
Image: AP | Image:self
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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on Russia to grant full access to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to all prisoners of war. He stated that the ICRC should be allowed to meet prisoners of war as per International humanitarian law. The appeal from Guterres comes after Ukraine also requested ICRC to send a delegation to the prisoners of war camp in Olenivka region.

"The Secretary-General reiterates his appeal to the Russian Federation that the International Committee of the Red Cross be granted full access to all Prisoners of War, in accordance with international humanitarian law, including the Third Geneva Convention," the UN Secretary General spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

Andriy Yermak, head of the office of Ukraine's President, called on the International Committee of the Red Cross to send a delegation to the prisoners of war camp in Olenivka, where Ukrainian prisoners of war are held. He made the appeal during a video call with representatives of the ICRC and other international organisations. He called it "extremely important" to witness the conditions under which the Ukrainian prisoners are held and what they experience in detention centres of Russia and the Moscow-occupied regions of Ukraine. He urged the ICRC to send its mission by October 17 and resolve the issue. Yermak assured the International Committee of the Red Cross of facilitating the visit of mission in "every possible way."

"I call for the Red Cross mission with international media representatives to arrive in Ukraine no later than in three days, even if you do not receive confirmation from Russia by this time. And we are sure that Russia is not interested in the truth being known. We call to send a mission that will be on the frontline until Russia issues these permits," Andriy Yermak said.

ICRC expresses 'frustration' over lack of access to POWs

The International Committee of the Red Cross has expressed 'frustration regarding the lack of access to all prisoners of war" amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. According to the statement, ICRC has been working since February to obtain access to check the conditions of prisoners of war and inform their families about it. It further stated that their teams on the ground have been ready for months to visit the Olenivka penal facility and any other sites where prisoners of war are held. The ICRC noted that the third Geneva convention calls on parties to an international armed conflict to grant the International Committee of the Red Cross immediate access to all prisoners of war and meet them wherever they are held.

"We share the frustration regarding our lack of access to all prisoners of war (POWs) held in the international armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine. We have been working since February to obtain access to check on the conditions and treatment of POWs and keep their families informed about their loved ones," the ICRC said in a statement.

 

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Published October 15th, 2022 at 08:01 IST

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