PresidentJoe Bidenthis week made headlines when he accused Russia of “genocide” — an attempt to wipe out a national, ethnic, racial or religious group — in its ongoinginvasion of Ukraine.
That word is much more than just a descriptor, in that a declaration of “genocide” could force other countries to investigate the claims (and prosecute them, if necessary).
It must therefore not just be prevented — but punished.
But genocide also must first be proved — and proving that Russia has deliberately engaged in ethnic cleansing would be difficult and hinge on the public statements of PresidentVladimir Putin, as theAssociated Pressreports.
Russia, for its part, has repeatedly denied targeting civilian sites and committing other acts of violence involving non-combatants, sometimes claiming the numerous accounts otherwise are faked.
Acknowledging genocide in a more formal way could require the U.S. to directly intervene — a move Biden has been adamantly against, citing a concern it could escalate the conflict with Russia beyond Ukraine.
Other world leaders have stopped short of describing the Russian invasion of Ukraine as “genocide” and openly worried about the use of the word.
French President Emmanuel Macron, for instance,told reporters this week, “Genocide has a meaning … What is happening is madness, it’s a brutality that’s unheard of. But at the same time I am looking at the facts, and I want to do as much as possible to continue trying to stop this war and rebuild peace. So I’m not sure that an escalation of words serves the cause.”
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U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price, meanwhile, has said theywould play a rolein the international effort to document the atrocities in Ukraine to determine whether the “legal threshold” to declare genocide is met.
“We are engaged in a process at this very moment to work with partners around the world, but in the first instance our Ukrainian partners, to help them collect, to preserve, to document, and to share evidence of atrocities, potential war crimes, and yes, if that threshold, that legal threshold is reached, genocide,” Price said Wednesday.
The Kremlin called Biden’s accusation against Putin “unforgivable.”
The president has also previously described the Russian autocratas a “killer"who does “not have a soul.” According toThe Washington Post, Putin previously responded to the “killer” label somewhat mockingly, invoking an expression that translates to “I know you are, but what am I?”
“We know that thousands of people have been killed and tortured,” Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyytold reporters after visiting Bucha. “Their limbs were cut off. Raped women, killed children. I think that this is … actually genocide.”
The Russian invasion of Ukraine.ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty
Just one week into the war, which has been ongoing for more than a month, a prosecutor with the International Criminal Court said he planned toopen an investigationinto alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the attacks continue after Russian forces first launched their large-scale invasion on Feb. 24 — marking the first major land conflict in Europe in decades.
Putin insists Ukraine has historic ties to Russia and he is acting in the best security interests of his country, while Zelenskyy has vowed that his country will fight back.
source: people.com
