An international effort to trace and rescue tens of thousands of children kidnapped from Ukraine to Russia and prosecute those responsible has been crippled by the US state department’s deletion of evidence.
The Trump administration cut funding to Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab, which was compiling a database of alleged Russian war crimes, including the abduction of an estimated 35,000 children from occupied areas of Ukraine, last month.
Using satellite imagery and other surveillance systems provided through the US government, the Yale researchers were monitoring 116 sites in Russia.
A Yale source said the US state department deleted the evidence which would have been used as part of rescue efforts to get the children home to Ukraine. It would also have been used to prosecute those behind their abductions – including Russian president Vladimir Putin.
”It is unclear whether it was by accident or intent, but it may reveal or it may cause potential criminal liability for the Trump administration, given international prohibitions against the destruction of war crimes evidence,” the Yale insider told The Independent.
Further liability could be attached to the Trump administration for the destruction of evidence in the prosecution of Putin, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court.
Researchers and lawyers working with the Yale project have also had to stop sharing the data with the European Union which is also investigating the abduction of children through EUROPOL.
“They [the state department] deleted the crime base on the arrest warrant on Putin... whether they did it by accident, or they did it on purpose it's a hell of a favour,” the Yale source told The Independent.
“The worst part of this is not that it screws up prosecution, that's bad. The worst part is that it screws up our active efforts to try to get the kids back across the front line, physically,” they added
The team works closely with SaveUkraine, a charity that has repatriated 610 Ukrainian children so far – and the Ukrainian government.
www.independent.co.uk
The Trump administration cut funding to Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab, which was compiling a database of alleged Russian war crimes, including the abduction of an estimated 35,000 children from occupied areas of Ukraine, last month.
Using satellite imagery and other surveillance systems provided through the US government, the Yale researchers were monitoring 116 sites in Russia.
A Yale source said the US state department deleted the evidence which would have been used as part of rescue efforts to get the children home to Ukraine. It would also have been used to prosecute those behind their abductions – including Russian president Vladimir Putin.
”It is unclear whether it was by accident or intent, but it may reveal or it may cause potential criminal liability for the Trump administration, given international prohibitions against the destruction of war crimes evidence,” the Yale insider told The Independent.
Further liability could be attached to the Trump administration for the destruction of evidence in the prosecution of Putin, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court.
Researchers and lawyers working with the Yale project have also had to stop sharing the data with the European Union which is also investigating the abduction of children through EUROPOL.
“They [the state department] deleted the crime base on the arrest warrant on Putin... whether they did it by accident, or they did it on purpose it's a hell of a favour,” the Yale source told The Independent.
“The worst part of this is not that it screws up prosecution, that's bad. The worst part is that it screws up our active efforts to try to get the kids back across the front line, physically,” they added
The team works closely with SaveUkraine, a charity that has repatriated 610 Ukrainian children so far – and the Ukrainian government.
US ‘deletes evidence’ of Russia’s kidnap of thousands of Ukrainian children
Researchers at Yale University had been compiling database of alleged Russian war crimes, including abduction of up to 35,000 children
www.independent.co.uk
in Bio” Zionists that laughed and cheered for lsrael doin this to Palestine cryin themselves to sleep. 
