The president of the Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, says it is important to talk to all parties in the Ukraine war – including Russia.
“We are talking to all parties about the need to respect international humanitarian law,” Spoljaric Egger said. “This includes access to prisoners of war and civilian prisoners.”
The ICRC president added one should not underestimate the strength of international law. As the Geneva Convention has been ratified by all states, it represents the strongest existing international consensus, “even if this is perhaps less visible than the violations: martial law is also respected every day. If it wasn’t the case, we couldn’t do our job,” she explained.
ICRC’s work
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the Geneva-based body has reached hundreds of prisoners of war on both sides as part of its humanitarian work.
Spoljaric Egger – who took up the ICRC presidency in October 2022, replacing Peter Maurer – herself visited Ukraine for four days in December 2022, where she said she gained “a first-hand view of a devastating humanitarian situation”.
A statementExternal link released at the time said that the ICRC and its partners remained committed to helping those most affected by the international armed conflict in 2023.
Popular Stories
More
Identities
Switzerland’s most renowned trans person no longer wants to be a woman
Georgian billionaire threatens to sue Julius Bär bank
This content was published on
After a long legal fight with Credit Suisse, billionaire Bidzina Ivanichvili is now accusing Julius Bäe of political blackmail.
This content was published on
Switzerland’s finance minister concerned about economic slump recorded by important trading partners, the EU and Germany.
Report finds serious security flaws in Swiss hospital information systems
This content was published on
The IT systems of several Swiss hospitals suffer from serious security flaws, according to the National Testing Institute for Cybersecurity (NTC).
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Red Cross visits more POWs held by Russia and Ukraine
This content was published on
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says that in recent weeks it has visited more prisoners of war held by Russia and Ukraine.
ICRC president: ‘I had an impact – that’s what counts’
This content was published on
Peter Maurer is stepping down after ten years at the helm of the ICRC. How does he look back on his time in conflict zones from Iraq to Ukraine?
Families of Ukrainian war prisoners ask the Red Cross to do more
This content was published on
Relatives of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) were in Geneva to call for stronger action by international organisations.
This content was published on
Mirjana Spoljaric Egger will become the first woman to head the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Complex challenges await her.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.