Nearly 50 children repatriated between Russia and Ukraine

 

Russia, Ukraine to exchange displaced children

in Qatar-brokered deal

Russia and Ukraine have agreed in a Qatari-brokered deal to exchange almost 50 children displaced by Moscow's invasion, the Kremlin's children's rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova announced in Doha Wednesday. 

Issued on: 24/04/2024 - 17:40Modified: 24/04/2024 - 21:14

1 min

By:FRANCE 24Follow|FRANCE 24

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that 16 Ukrainian children previously "deported to Russia" had been reunited with their families.

"A group of 16 Ukrainian children ... have been released and reunited with their families" in Qatar, Zelensky said, not addressing Russia's claim that 48 children were involved in an exchange, including 19 that would go to Russia.

Moscow has been accused of forcibly taking Ukrainian children into Russian territory during its full-scale offensive, with Lvova-Belova wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges related to those allegations.

"For the first time in a face-to-face format, we held talks with the Ukrainian side. Twenty-nine children are due to go to Ukraine and 19 to Russia," Lvova-Belova announced.

She gave no details on why the children were in Russian hands or where they had come from.

Ukraine believes Russia has illegally taken more than 19,000 of its children since the start of the 2022 invasion, of which fewer than 400 have been returned.

Moscow denies that charge, saying that it has transferred children for their safety away from fighting zones.

The fate of the children has been highly sensitive in Ukraine since the war began two years ago. Some of the children's parents were killed, while others were separated from carers by the fast-moving front lines at the start of the invasion.

Some were living in Ukrainian orphanages in areas Russia then occupied.

Ukraine says Moscow's forces illegally deported them to Russia, and accuses the Russian authorities of trying to wipe out their Ukrainian identity.

Teenagers that returned to Ukraine have said they were subjected to Russian patriotic education and made to praise the Russian army.  

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

=================================================================================================================

South Korean Diplomat Repatriated After Chile Child Sex Scandal

By Elizabeth Shim

South Korea's foreign ministry confirmed Tuesday a diplomat based in Chile has been repatriated after he was caught on camera sexually harassing a minor. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI 

SEOUL, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- A South Korean diplomat described as a "national disgrace" by his fellow citizens has been summoned back to his home country after a video caught him sexually harassing a teenage girl in Chile.

A Seoul foreign ministry official who spoke anonymously told Yonhap news agency the diplomat returned to Korea on Tuesday morning, two days after a Chilean broadcaster aired the hidden camera footage of the government official making unwanted sexual advances on a local minor.

Foreign ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck said the diplomat had returned and was being investigated.

South Korean Ambassador to Chile Yu Ji-eun had issued an apology to the victims, their families and the people of Chile on Monday.

"I and the other diplomats at the South Korean embassy offer this sincere apology for causing serious harm and shock to the student victims, their families and the Chilean people due to this scandalous act," Yu stated in his apology.

The ambassador also said Seoul will conduct strict and rigorous measures in accordance with South Korean laws and regulations, and will work closely with the Chilean government during the investigation.

The diplomat suspected of initiating sexual harassment began engaging in inappropriate behavior when he taught a 13-year-old teenage girl Korean during a public diplomacy initiative that promotes South Korean popular culture.

The victim reported the incident and a local television station launched an undercover reporting project, using another girl to catch the diplomat engaging in misconduct, according to Yonhap.

The diplomat only identified by his surname Park began to initiate sexual advances, an act that was caught on camera.

Park allegedly begged the television crew to not air the video.

The program aired on Sunday on Chile's Canal 13 channel.

Korean commentators have condemned Park's behavior, calling for his "ostracism" because of disgraceful behavior, according to The Korea Times.