Former Cabinet Minister Andrew Mitchell has accused Russia of war crimes. He compared Putin’s action and war crimes in Syria to those of Nazi’s bombing in Guernica during the Spanish civil war in 1930’s, ahead of an emergency Commons debate on the situation in Aleppo, Syria.
Andrew said,
“We are witnessing events which match the behavior of the Nazi regime in Guernica in Spain. Russia is shredding the international rules-based system of law.”
Andrew accused Moscow of violating international laws in Aleppo with its bombing. He said in a statement,
“Aleppo was a city of more than two million people, it is now reduced to about 250,000 and the Russians are not bombing military formations they are bombing hospitals, which is absolutely a war crime, and they are bombing innocent people who are in cellars.”
Andrews also accused Russian forces of a war crime in which Russian forces attacked a United Nations relief convoy.
Emergency Commons debate of three hours will be held later in the day.
The city of Aleppo which is in northern Syria has become a central battleground in Syrian civil war.
French President Francois Hollande, over Russia’s actions in Aleppo, has criticized Putin and suggested Russia could face charges of war crimes.
“These are people who today are the victims of war crimes. Those that commit these acts will have to face up to their responsibility, including in the ICC,” Mr. Francois told TMC.
Russia strongly rejected the accusation of targeting civilians and said it is targeting terrorists.
Mr. Andre Mitchell told members of Parliament:
“The use of incendiary weapons, munitions such as bunker buster bombs and cluster bombs. The UN make clear that the systematic use of such indiscriminate weapons in densely populated areas amounts to a war crime.”
United Kingdom’s government has also strongly criticized the role of Russia in Syrian civil war.