One expert called the bombing of a maternity and children’s hospital « particularly egregious. »
The bombing of a maternity and children’s hospital in the city of Mariupol has stoked international outrage as Russia continues to invade Ukraine. Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday said the bombing, which left at least 17 people injured, should be investigated as a potential war crime. « I have no question the eyes of the world are on this war and what Russia has done in terms of this aggression and these atrocities, » Harris said at a press conference in Warsaw, Poland, where she was demonstrating U.S. support for NATO ‘s eastern flank allies. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has already opened an investigation into allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide committed in Ukraine after receiving referrals from nearly 40 countries. The United Nations Human Rights Council also launched an independent international commission to investigate all alleged violations of human rights in the context of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Experts told Newsweek that the hospital bombing is a « particularly horrific » example of a potential war crime committed by Vladimir Putin ‘s forces. « There is something that seems particularly egregious and particularly horrific about attacks on facilities that are designed to care for the most vulnerable people in society, » said Anthony Dworkin, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
