MOSCOW, December 7. /TASS/. Russia’s Federation Council (upper house of parliament, or "senate") at a plenary session has approved a formal appeal by the Russian Federal Assembly (parliament) to the United Nations as well as national parliaments and inter-parliamentary organizations worldwide to take a legal and moral stand on the Kiev regime’s crimes against children.
The Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) also approved a similar appeal at its own plenary session on Thursday.
"Russian State Duma deputies and [upper house] senators are calling on the UN and international parliamentary organizations and [national] parliaments across the world to provide a legal and moral assessment of the criminal acts committed by the Kiev regime with regard to children as well as to work together with the parliamentary commission for investigating criminal acts against minors by the Kiev regime established by the Russian Federal Assembly in order to make joint efforts to bring an end to the growing catastrophe and save the children located in the armed conflict zone," the document noted.
The appeal noted that, as a result of the Kiev regime’s criminal actions, a number of provisions enshrined in the November 20, 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) had been violated, including those guaranteeing the right to life, healthy development, freedom of conscience, thought, views, expression and religion, education and the use of one’s native language.
As Federation Council Deputy Speaker Inna Svyatenko pointed out during the deliberations, the document was drafted at the initiative of a joint parliamentary commission investigating crimes against minors committed by the Kiev regime.
"The main reason why minors end up being victimized is the massive use of indiscriminate weapons by armed formations under the control of the Kiev regime, the use of cluster and phosphorous munitions as well as remote mining of populated areas and using airborne mining equipment," she said.
At a plenary session on June 20, the lower house State Duma approved a decree for launching a parliamentary investigation into criminal acts against children committed by the Kiev regime. At its June 21 session, the upper house Federation Council voted to support the initiative. A joint bicameral investigative commission was established, which includes 13 members of the Federation Council, known as senators, and 13 members of the State Duma, known as deputies. Under the relevant legislation, the commission will have a one-year operational mandate and the findings of its investigation will be submitted to Russia’s top leadership.