[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 304 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 304
Commending the International Criminal Court's issuance of an arrest
warrant for Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, and
Maria Lvova-Belova, Commissioner for Children's Rights in the Office of
the President of the Russian Federation, for two war crimes related to
the forcible deportation of Ukrainian children from occupied areas of
Ukraine to the Russian Federation.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 18, 2023
Mr. Keating (for himself, Mr. Quigley, Ms. Kaptur, and Mr. Fitzpatrick)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Commending the International Criminal Court's issuance of an arrest
warrant for Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, and
Maria Lvova-Belova, Commissioner for Children's Rights in the Office of
the President of the Russian Federation, for two war crimes related to
the forcible deportation of Ukrainian children from occupied areas of
Ukraine to the Russian Federation.
Whereas, on March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest
warrants for Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, and
Maria Lvova-Belova, Commissioner for Children's Rights in the Office of
the President of the Russian Federation, for committing two war crimes
related to the forcible deportation of Ukrainian children to the Russian
Federation, stating that the Court believes that ``each suspect bears
responsibility'' for these war crimes;
Whereas, on February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation at the direction of
Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine;
Whereas, in November 2022, Amnesty International published a report which
documented the forcible deportation of Ukrainian civilians, including
children, by Russian forces and their proxies into Russia;
Whereas the Russian Federation has amended its domestic legislation to enable
the swift placement and adoption of these forcibly deported children
with Russian foster families while issuing said children Russian
citizenship;
Whereas the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) issued a report on March
16, 2023, which found that the Russian Federation has committed war
crimes, including forcibly deporting children from occupied territories
in Ukraine to the Russian Federation, since February 24, 2022;
Whereas the March 2023 UNHRC report stated that ``International humanitarian law
prohibits the evacuation of children by a party to the armed conflict,
with the exception of a temporary evacuation . . . [for] reasons
relating to the health or medical treatment . . . The written consent of
parents or legal guardians is required . . . The transfers were not
justified by safety or medical reasons'';
Whereas the Yale School of Public Health's Humanitarian Research Lab found that
Russian adoption facilities are engaging in systematic ``re-education''
efforts that expose children from Ukraine to Russia-centric academic,
cultural, patriotic, and military education, and multiple facilities are
advertised as ``integration programs'' with the apparent goal of
integrating children from Ukraine into the Russian Government's vision
of national culture, history, and society;
Whereas the Yale School of Public Health's Humanitarian Research Lab also
verified that thousands of Ukrainian children, some only toddlers, have
been victims of this forcible deportation to Russia and that many of
these children are being held in 43 camps across Russian Federation
territory, including two camps in Siberia;
Whereas the 117th Congress passed legislation directing the United States to
assist with ``investigations and prosecutions of foreign nationals
related to the situation in Ukraine, including to support victims and
witnesses''; and
Whereas President Zelenskyy of Ukraine has thanked the ICC for its ``historic''
decision to issue arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-
Belova, stating that ``in the criminal proceeding being investigated by
[Ukraine's] law enforcement officers, more than 16,000 forced
deportations of Ukrainian children by the occupier have already been
recorded. But the real, full number of deportees may be much higher'':
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) denounces the Russian Federation's full-scale invasion
of Ukraine and calls on the Russian Federation to immediately
withdraw all forces from the internationally recognized
territory of Ukraine;
(2) stands outraged by actions taken by Russian Armed
Forces, Government, and their proxies to remove Ukrainian
children from their homes and forcibly integrate them into
Russian society;
(3) condemns the ongoing, unlawful, and systematic
deportation, forcible transfer, and ``re-education'' of
Ukrainian children from occupied territories of Ukraine to the
Russian Federation and within occupied territories of Ukraine
under the direction of Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova;
(4) recognizes the devastating psychological,
intergenerational harm and trauma caused to Ukrainian parents,
families, and communities by the forcible removal of their
children and to the Ukrainian children separated from their
families and communities;
(5) supports the decision of the International Criminal
Court to issue arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin, President of
the Russian Federation, and Maria Lvova-Belova, Commissioner
for Children's Rights in the Office of the President of the
Russian Federation, for committing war crimes related to the
unlawful deportation of children from occupied areas of Ukraine
to the Russian Federation and within occupied territories of
Ukraine;
(6) calls for the Russian Federation to immediately reveal
any existing records of the deportation of children and
adoption of deported children to Ukrainian authorities;
(7) calls for the Russian Federation to immediately return
all deported Ukrainian children back to their homes in Ukraine
so they can be reunited with their families and communities;
(8) condemns the Russian Federation for all atrocity crimes
and the gross violations of human rights it has committed in
Ukraine such as targeting civilians, destroying critical
civilian infrastructure related to energy and health care, and
using torture and sexual violence as weapons of war; and
(9) calls on President Biden to direct all departments and
agencies to support the International Criminal Court's
investigation and prosecution of atrocity crimes committed in
Ukraine, including those related to the Russian Federation's
unlawful transfer and deportation of children.
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