The Committee on Culture of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) unanimously supported the resolution "Countering the destruction of cultural identity in time of war and peace", which states that Russia uses cultural "cleansing" as a tool of war to deny the existence of another cultural identity. This was reported by a member of the parliamentary delegation to PACE, Yevhenia Kravchuk, UNN reports .
The PACE Culture Committee has recognized the erasure of Ukrainian cultural identity as an instrument of Russia's war against Ukraine and an element of genocidal policy aimed at destroying the Ukrainian nation. The PACE Committee on Culture in Copenhagen has just unanimously supported my resolution "Countering the erasure of cultural identity in time of war and peace"
Among the key provisions of the document:
- Ensure full reparation on the basis of international law, in particular through restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction and guarantees of non-recurrence of destruction;
- to raise awareness of how propaganda, colonial and neo-colonial practices, in particular the ideology of the “Russian world”, can create the basis for violations of international law, in particular with regard to cultural heritage;
- to provide for sanctions against anyone who carries out or facilitates the illegal transfer or trade of artifacts, conducts illegal excavations or uses artifacts for their own purposes (exhibitions, auctions, scientific publications), and to ensure that the authorities and state institutions involved are held accountable.
As Kravchuk pointed out, the resolution affirms that the Russian Federation uses cultural "cleansing" as an instrument of war to deny the existence of another cultural identity.
"Such actions constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity and indicate a specific genocidal intention to destroy the Ukrainian nation or at least a part of it, in particular, by destroying Ukrainian identity and culture. This is part of the genocidal campaign that Russia is conducting against the Ukrainian people," Kravchuk emphasized.
PACE will vote on the document at its June session.