“From day one, we have been in touch with the parties to remind them of their commitments and we have maintained dialogue with them ever since,” Christian Cardon, head of ICRC protection activities, said in an interview distributed to Le Temps am Thursday.
Access to prisoners difficult
However, he admits that the ICRC delegates only had access to “a few hundred prisoners on either side”. “We know there are thousands of prisoners,” he continues. It is very frustrating, but signals are being given that visits can be resumed.
Prisoner access isn’t everything, Cardon explained. “The first goal is to make sure we know where these prisoners are and that they are treated properly.” He also noted that visiting a prison does not solve the problem: “The most important thing is that prison conditions improve.”
ICRC wants to continue the work
According to Cardon, the organization has rarely faced such pressure in its 160-year history: “There is undoubtedly a special dimension to this war, because of the closeness felt in Europe”. The ICRC just continues its work.
On November 15, at the G20 meeting in Bali, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke of the “self-destruction of the Red Cross as a once respected organization” and pointed to the lack of support.
(SDA)