Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

It is totally beyond doubt that Putin's forces have been committing war crimes. We have seen the latest horrific scenes in Bucha but the targeting of civilians by Russia in a number of Ukrainian cities is very obvious and it should be prosecuted for those war crimes. Does the Taoiseach have any trust in the ability of the international community to pursue war crimes? The United Nations dropped the investigation of war crimes committed by Saudi Arabia after an intense lobbying campaign by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Interestingly, that campaign was supported not only by the Americans who are arming Saudi Arabia but also by Russia. The United States and Russia found common cause in shutting down an investigation into war crimes in Yemen. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have been appealing for the war crimes investigation in Yemen to be resumed but there has been no support from the western powers, Russia or Saudi Arabia. Similarly, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International allege that war crimes have been committed by Israel because of its use of white phosphorous in Gaza, imposing a collective punishment on Gaza through an illegal siege and the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from the occupied territories. Does the Taoiseach think there is any likelihood of these war crimes actually being pursued? We should have consistency and not double standards in the prosecution of war crimes.

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