The International Criminal Court (ICC) has received a report from several Ukrainian human rights groups detailing hate crimes committed by Russian propagandists against Ukrainians. The report, prepared by organizations such as the International Federation for Human Rights and the Center for Civil Liberties, focuses on hate speech violations under Article 7 of the Rome Statute. The groups aim to show that this hate speech is a crime and not just “freedom of speech” as portrayed by Russian propagandists. The report specifically names five Russian propagandists, including Vladimir Solovyov, Margarita Simonyan, Dmitry Kiselyov, Dmitry Medvedev, and Sergey Mardan, who have been spreading inflammatory rhetoric against Ukraine.
Vladimir Solovyov, a well-known Russian TV personality, has been promoting the Kremlin’s policies and supporting the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He has made genocidal remarks about the conflict, comparing it to deworming a cat. Solovyov has been paid by the Kremlin for his work and owns several properties, some of which were vandalized after the invasion. YouTube took down Solovyov’s channel in 2022 for violating guidelines. Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Russian state-controlled media channel RT, has also been sanctioned by multiple countries for promoting the Russian war narrative. She has made inflammatory statements denying attacks on Ukrainian cities and justifying Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Dmitry Kiselyov, head of Russian state media group Rossiya Segodnya, has threatened Western nations with nuclear weapons and has a history of homophobic remarks. He has been criticized for his extreme views and sensationalist reporting. Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian President, has become more aggressive in his pro-war stance since the invasion of Ukraine began. He has made threats against Ukraine and other Western countries, describing Ukrainians as needing to realize that life with Russia is better than death. Sergey Mardan, a blogger for a Russian newspaper, has been accused of calling for the genocide of Ukrainians and justifying Russian aggression.
The actions of these Russian propagandists are being brought to the attention of the ICC in the hope of holding them accountable for their hate speech and incitement of violence. The report aims to challenge the idea that this rhetoric is simply freedom of speech and to show the harm it is causing to Ukrainian citizens. By documenting the inflammatory statements made by these individuals, the human rights groups seek to demonstrate the severity of the situation and bring justice to those affected by hate crimes. It is crucial to support independent journalism in Ukraine and stand against the spread of harmful propaganda that fuels conflict and division. Joining the fight for independent journalism in Ukraine is a way to support the efforts to bring justice and accountability to those responsible for promoting hate speech and violence.
