The ICRC flag at half-mast in Geneva in honour of the Swiss staff member who was killed in the Libyan city of Sirte on June 4.
Keystone
The body of a Swiss ICRC worker who was killed during shelling in the rebel-held Ukrainian city of Donetsk was returned to Switzerland on Thursday.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and agencies
“We are still in shock over the death of Laurent Du Pasquier,” said Dominik Stillhart, director of operations at the Swiss-run International Committee of the Red Cross, at a press conference in Geneva.
A farewell ceremony will be held for the slain Swiss ICRC worker in Neuchâtel on Friday. His death on October 2 was the second of a Swiss ICRC staff member this year in the line of duty. Another Swiss employee was killed in Sirte in Libya on June 4.
“We have asked the authorities to investigate. So far, we have no evidence pointing to where the shelling came from and determining who is responsible for the death of the Swiss staff member,” said Stillhart.
The ICRC had halted its operations there following the shelling. “We need to review our systems, where we can work and what we can achieve, but we are determined to resume our operations in Ukraine,” Stillhart added.
He also stressed that the need for humanitarian aid was great in the face of a fragile ceasefire and the effect of the approaching winter on 300,000 people displaced by the conflict.
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.
Read more
More
Swiss ICRC worker killed in Donetsk
This content was published on
A Swiss ICRC worker has been killed in shelling in the rebel-held Ukrainian city of Donetsk. Ukraine and Russia blame each other for the incident. The Swiss-run International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirmed in statement on Thursday that Laurent DuPasquier, 38, who had been working as an administrator in the organization’s office in…
This content was published on
Forty-two-year-old Michael Greub was attacked by unidentified gunmen as he left a meeting with two colleagues, according to the ICRC. He died in Sirte’s hospital. “His colleagues are unhurt but in shock,” said ICRC spokesman Wolde Saugeron. “They were ambushed around midday. They were heading towards their car that did not carry any ICRC signs, following our…
This content was published on
An ICRC spokesperson confirmed on Saturday that eight Ukrainians and one Swiss had been held in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. They were released at two o‘clock in the morning. One member of the group had been heavily beaten and was taken to hospital. Novosti Donbassa, an online newspaper, said that a large amount of medicine…
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.