WHO Delivers Evidence of Russian War Crimes to International Organizations

Deliberate Attacks on 200 Ukrainian Medical Facilities by Russia
WHO Director-General Urges Russia to Stop the War

[Asia Economy International Department Reporter] The World Health Organization (WHO) has decided to collect evidence of war crimes committed by Russia against healthcare facilities in Ukraine and deliver it to international organizations.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 7th (local time), according to overseas media, Mike Ryan, head of the WHO Emergency Response Team, stated at a press briefing that WHO has already recorded 200 attacks on healthcare facilities in Ukraine.

Ryan pointed out, "Deliberate attacks targeting healthcare facilities violate international humanitarian law (international law for the protection of war victims) and constitute war crimes under any circumstances." He added, "WHO will continue to document and testify about such attacks," and "We believe that the United Nations (UN), the International Criminal Court (ICC), and others will take necessary measures to assess the criminal intent behind these attacks."

Russia has been criticized for war crimes due to indiscriminate attacks targeting civilians not involved in the war, including healthcare facilities. However, there are many views that judicial prosecution may be practically impossible due to Russia's refusal to cooperate with investigations and its status as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Ryan explained that the 200 healthcare facilities attacked since Russia's invasion on February 24 are not all, but only those confirmed by WHO.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that nearly 400 healthcare facilities have been completely destroyed or damaged by Russian forces. Reuters and other agencies reported that WHO member states will review a sanctions resolution, including the closure of the WHO regional office in Moscow, Russia, on the 10th.

This sanctions proposal was submitted to the WHO European office by European diplomats and is reported to have been signed by at least 38 countries, including Turkey, France, and Germany.

Russia completely denies the war crime circumstances captured in Ukraine and claims some are staged by Ukraine.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said at the briefing, "WHO supports Ukraine" and urged Russia to stop the war.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.