Wikipedia

Belarus Red Cross

The Belarusian Red Cross Society (Belarusian: Беларускае Таварыства Чырвонага Крыжа, romanized: Bielaruskaje Tavarystva Čyrvonaha Kryža; Russian: Белорусское Общество Красного Креста, romanized: Belorusskoye Obshchestvo Krasnogo Kresta) is a Belarusian humanitarian organization and a suspended[2] member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Its purpose is to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever and whenever it occurs, voluntarily and without discrimination.

Belarusian Red Cross
Беларускі Чырвоны Крыж
Белорусский Красный Крест
Formation1967
Legal statusin operate, IFRC membership suspended
PurposeHumanitarian aid
HeadquartersMinsk, Belarus
Region
Belarus
Secretary General
Dzmitry Shautsou
Chairman
Dmitry Cherednichenko
Parent organization
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Staff
366 (2016)[1]
Volunteers
22,459 (2016) [1]
Websiteredcross.by

Though first operating in the territory of what is now Belarus in 1872 as the Minsk local branch of the Russian Red Cross, the organization was officially founded in 1967. Within Belarus, it currently operates 166 regional and local branches.[3][4]

Involvement in the Russo-Ukrainian War

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In an interview in Russian-occupied Lysychansk, Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine that was aired on state TV channel Belarus-1 on 19 July 2023, the head of the organization, Dzmitry Shautsou, wearing military clothes with the Z symbol, openly admitted to the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied areas to Belarus for “health improvement” reasons during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, saying that it would continue to do so.[5][6]

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies dissociated itself from his statements, while expressing "grave concern" and demanding a halt to the practice. It also triggered an investigation by the body's investigative committee.[5][6]

On 4 October 2023 the IFRC completed its investigation, finding that Shautsou breached the organisation's guidelines, and called for him to be removed by 30 November 2023 under the threat of suspending the BRC's membership.[7] After the BRC refused to take any action on removing Shautsou, the group was formally suspended on 1 December 2023. Shautsou condemned the organisation's suspension, calling it "absolutely politicised" and claiming that he was assisting the safe return of Ukrainian children.[2] On December 5, 2023, the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has added Dzmitry Shautsou to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.[8]

In January 2024, the Buro Media project published an investigation that the BRC spent a significant part of the funds (including those received from the IFRC) on maintaining an inflated staff and on business trips for its own management.[9]

In February 2024, the European Union announced the 13th round of sanctions on Russia, and Shautsou was included in the sanctions list.[10] He was also blacklisted by Australia on the same day, by Switzerland in March[11][12] and by New Zealand in September.[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Belarus Red Cross FDRS Indicators". Data.ifrc.org. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  2. ^ a b Karmanau, Yuras (1 December 2023). "Global Red Cross suspends Belarus chapter after its chief boasted of bringing in Ukrainian children". Associated Press. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  3. ^ "History of the Belarusian Red Cross Society". Белорусский Красный Крест | Просто Помогаем! (in Russian). 27 July 2017. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  4. ^ "Belarus: ICRC brings together 14 countries to discuss international humanitarian law". International Committee of the Red Cross. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Belarus Red Cross says it helped deport Ukrainian children to Belarus". CNN. 2023-07-20. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  6. ^ a b "Belarus Red Cross says it is involved in transfer of children out of Ukraine". The Guardian. 2023-07-20. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  7. ^ "IFRC releases findings on Belarus Red Cross Secretary General: call for dismissal". International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Treasury Targets Belarusian Revenue Generators for Lukashenka, Human Rights Abuses, and Cogs in Russia's War Machine". United States Department of the Treasury. December 5, 2023.
  9. ^ "«Бюро»: Беларусское общество Красного Креста тратит деньги доноров на содержание раздутого штата и дорогие номера в поездках". OCCRP (in Russian). 2024-01-10. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  10. ^ "Жога, губернаторы РФ и министр обороны КНДР. Стало известно, кто попал в список санкций ЕС". РБК-Украина (in Russian). February 23, 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
  11. ^ "Dmitry Evgenyevich SHAUTSOV". National Agency on Corruption Prevention. Archived from the original on 2024-03-03.
  12. ^ "Dmitry Yevgenyevich SHEVTSOV". National Agency on Corruption Prevention. Archived from the original on 2024-03-15.
  13. ^ "Russia Sanctions Amendment Regulations (No 4) 2024". New Zealand Legislation.
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