On Thursday 15 June, the European Parliament called for the immediate closure of the proceedings and the dismissal of all charges against Tihran Ohannisian and Mykyta Khanhanov, as well as their immediate release.
Born in 2006, Tihran Ohannisian and Mykyta Khanhanov are accused by the Russian Federation’s Investigative Committee of planning sabotage on a railway line in Berdiansk. They face up to 20 years’ imprisonment.
In a joint resolution adopted by 425 votes in favour, 3 against and 15 abstentions, MEPs called on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to facilitate the safe return of the two teenagers, who had been beaten and tortured with electric shocks. They also believe that the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Violence Against Children should investigate and that the EU should sanction those behind the prosecution of the two minors.
More broadly, the European Parliament condemns Russia’s deliberate targeting of Ukrainian children through measures such as forced transfers to Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied by Russia, illegal deportations to Russia and Belarus, illegal adoptions and attempts at “re-education”.
See the resolution: https://aeur.eu/f/7km (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)