Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Social Democrats, I strongly support the motion on Eurojust. It is exactly the kind of area on which we should be working together. I condemn in the strongest possible terms the war crimes being carried out by the Putin regime against the civilian population in Ukraine. Soldiers have been implicated in looting civilian property including food, clothing, fuel and firewood. There have been threats against civilians, unlawful violence, torture, sexual violence, repeated rape, summary executions, the use of cluster ammunition, indiscriminate attacks in densely populated areas and the shooting of refugees as they flee. These are all repulsive and abhorrent acts. There have been horrific reports of corpses found stuffed into wells with bags over their heads.

In war, it is always the civilian population that bears the brunt of military aggression. We must stand in strong solidarity with the people of Ukraine and redouble our efforts to provide practical support. I acknowledge the practical supports that have been put in place to date. The response of people in Ireland has been very generous, with many opening up their homes to people fleeing war and communities rallying around to provide practical support and assistance. People escaping from Mariupol have told of the hell on earth in which they have been living. We have also had reports of people fleeing being directed by members of the Russian armed forces to go to Russian-controlled areas against their will.

A significant amount of work has been done on the documentation of war crimes to date by organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. They are playing a crucial role on the ground gathering and documenting evidence of war crimes and they have already published evidence of war crimes. Under international humanitarian law, civilians should never be the deliberate target of attacks, yet that is what is happening. Following the atrocities at Bucha, shocking satellite images showed the bodies of murdered civilians that lay for weeks on the ground. Human Rights Watch has documented numerous incidents, including where Russian forces pulled civilians out of vehicles and summarily executed them and shot at vehicles containing civilians attempting to negotiate the delivery of humanitarian aid. In addition, it has documented harrowing reports of rape and repeated rape. I will read out an account that was documented by Human Rights Watch:

On March 6, Russian soldiers in the village of Vorzel, about 50 kilometers northwest of Kyiv, threw a smoke grenade into a basement, then shot a woman and a 14-year-old child as they emerged from the basement, where they had been sheltering.

The people of Russia have a long history not just of suffering under dictatorship but also suffering the consequences of war. More than most, the people of Russia should understand the horrors of war and of war crimes and have a key role to play in opposing this war. All of these abhorrent war crimes reinforce the importance of international institutions such as the International Criminal Court and international law. They also underline the importance of multilateralism, co-operation, peace and diplomacy. In that regard, we cannot be silent about countries that are not members of the International Criminal Court and have not signed up to it. In addition to Russia, such countries include the United States, Israel and China. In condemning the war crimes committed by Russia against the civilian population of Ukraine, we must be consistent and condemn all war crimes. We cannot be silent about war crimes and atrocities committed by other countries. We cannot be silent, for example, about the horrific war crimes that were committed in Iraq by US soldiers. These include the horrific rape and murder of a 14-year-old child. I reiterate in the strongest possible terms our condemnation of the war crimes carried out by the Putin regime against the civilian population in Ukraine. The strength of this condemnation must be met by every practical action and assistance we can give.

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