MP Paule Robitaille is looking for evidence of war crimes in Ukraine

Its purpose: to bring before the International Criminal Court the officers and senior Russian military officials who have committed atrocities in Ukraine.

It will be very emotional, this journey, because when I go there, it will be joy everywhere and hope who reigned at the time in this country he loved, confessed to the member for the Montreal ride of the Bourassa-Sauvé in a telephone interview with The Canadian Press on Friday.

He has already visited Ukraine and Russia

In her former life as a journalist, Paule Robitaille spent several years in Russia and traveled to Ukraine several times. He was there, in kyiv, when the country won independence from yoke of the soviet, in 1991, in euphoria and fun. He preserves precious memories.

In Ukraine, he will participate for ten days in a mission sponsored by the non-governmental organization International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR), based in Brussels. The president of this human rights organization is a Quebec lawyer, Brigitte Dufour.

At the site, the former journalist and lawyer by training will travel to several towns in the north of the country to meet the victims of the aggression, to try, thanks to their testimonies, to identify the perpetrators of war crimes made and to collect the maximum amount of evidence against the perpetrators.

As a citizen

Conducted by Ms. Robitaille does this mission on a voluntary basis, i.e. as a citizen and not as a Member of Parliament.

This will not stop him from trying, at the same time, to meet Ukrainian elected officials in kyiv. So he hopes to meet with the President of the House to convey to him personally the motion adopted by the National Assembly in February as an act of support and solidarity for the Ukrainian people.

This mission will not be a piece of cake, as the deputy will have to move around cities that are more devastated, have no infrastructure, no drinking water or five-star hotels. He was getting used to the idea that he would literally do it camping; in fact, he was carrying in his suitcase his tent, his compass and some dry food.

I can’t imagine what I entered into myself! he said, smiling, on the eve of setting out on an adventure.

The armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine greatly infuriated him, to the point that led him to question his political commitment. He recently announced that he would not be a candidate for a second term in the next election. In particular, he wants to devote himself to international aid.

The journalist moved to Moscow in the early 1990s. As a freelancer, he witnessed the collapse of the Soviet Union for six years and covered several armed conflicts, including in Georgia. and in Chechnya, for a variety of media, including Radio-Canada and several daily newspapers.

Ms. said. Robitaille that surprised him the room of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, organized by an army which it nevertheless considered less trained, not well equippedand of soldiers with profiles from other eras, who use the same tactics and strategies they used in Chechnyanot hesitating to sow terror in their path and kill civilians.

In this context, according to him, the success of the Russians in Ukraine is far from certain. I don’t see them winning this battlehe said, convinced that the Russian army, currently sold out.

He also said he admired the resistance of Ukrainians since the beginning of the fighting.

Asked if his choice to end his political career at the end of his mandate would be the same if Russia had not invaded Ukraine, he doubted and replied that he would. most likely became a candidate for election on October 3.

The MP elected in 2018, who is close to 60, insists his shocking decision has nothing to do with his party’s continuing decline in popularity, arguing that it is more of a lifestyle option. He said he asked himself the following question: What will be the next chapter of my life?

Not knowing what exactly this chapter would do, he now knew it would be written somewhere other than the National Assembly.