Ukrainian chief indicators an accord with the Council of Europe to arrange a particular tribunal to someday put prime Russian officers on trial.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has known as for the prosecution of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he accused of being a “struggle prison” for launching Russia’s assault on Ukraine.
Zelenskyy issued the decision late on Wednesday after he signed an accord with the Council of Europe to arrange a particular tribunal to prosecute Russian officers, together with Putin, for the invasion of Ukraine.
“We have to present clearly, aggression results in punishment, and we should make it occur collectively, all of Europe,” mentioned Zelenskyy after signing the accord with Council of Europe Secretary-Common Alain Berset.
“It can take robust political and authorized braveness to verify each Russian struggle prison faces justice, together with Putin,” Zelenskyy mentioned.
Putin is already dealing with an arrest warrant issued by the Worldwide Prison Courtroom (ICC) in The Hague for the alleged struggle crime of illegally transporting kids out of Ukraine.
The ICC has the jurisdiction to analyze struggle crimes, crimes towards humanity, and genocide, nevertheless it doesn’t have the jurisdiction to analyze “crimes of aggression” or the usage of armed pressure towards one other state.
The particular tribunal is being established to someday prosecute Russia’s “crime of aggression” for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The tribunal might, in principle, placed on trial senior Russian figures, together with Putin.
It has not but been determined the place the tribunal could be primarily based, however Zelenskyy mentioned The Hague, the house of the ICC, could be “excellent”.
That is the primary time such a tribunal has been arrange below the aegis of the Council of Europe, the continent’s prime rights physique.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Fee, beforehand mentioned the particular tribunal would “give Ukraine a path to justice for the top-level resolution to invade its territory – a flawed that no different worldwide courtroom or tribunal can at the moment deal with”.
The European Council mentioned the proposed tribunal might probably be used to prosecute North Korean and Belarusian people who assisted Russia within the invasion.
The 46-member Council of Europe just isn’t a part of the European Union and members embody key non-EU European states reminiscent of Turkiye, the UK and Ukraine. Russia was expelled from the physique within the wake of its invasion of Ukraine.
Alongside its arrest warrant for Putin, the ICC can be looking for to arrest 4 of Russia’s prime commanders for concentrating on civilians.
