December 1, Pozirk. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has suspended the Belarusian Red Cross as a member.
The international Red Cross said in a statement that the BRC had failed to comply with its demand to dismiss the local secretary general, Dźmitryj Šaŭcoŭ, whose remarks about Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus and activities in Russian-occupied territory caused outrage in the media.
On July 20, the BRC chief appeared on the state-run ONT TV channel, suggesting that Russia should consider launching nuclear strikes against Western countries.
The Belarusian organization will not be able to participate in the General Assembly or statutory events, and will not be funded, according to the statement. But it “can be reinstated” if it “complies with the decision of the Governing Board” and removes the controversial executive.
The BRC has not commented on the suspension so far.
Today, it held a presidium meeting with Šaŭcoŭ on financial and operational plans for 2024, according to its Telegram.
On October 3, the IFRC called on Šaŭcoŭ to resign by November 30.
The demand stemmed mainly from concerns about his visits to the Russian-occupied Ukrainian cities of Luhansk and Donetsk and his justification of the displacement of Ukrainian children.
Officials in Minsk do not deny the transfers, but claim that they are organized for the benefit of the children and in agreement with their legal representatives.
On August 11, Łukašenka said that Ukrainian minors “come here to be in peace … not to hear these explosions, not to see these deaths, this hunger.”
The Belarusian ruler ridiculed attempts to secure an international arrest warrant against him over alleged forced deportations as a plot by “Westerners.”
