At an international conference in the Ukrainian city of Lviv this weekend, a first step is to be taken to hold Russia accountable for war crimes. As EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Saturday morning, the agreement on the Establishment of a new International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression (ICPA) signed. It is intended to secure evidence for future court proceedings and will be located at the location of the EU agency Eurojust in The Hague. Eurojust is responsible for judicial cooperation in criminal matters in the Union.
Russia and President Vladimir Putin must be held accountable for the horrific crimes against Ukraine, he said from the Leyen in a video. There is increasing evidence of direct attacks on civilians, as well as on energy supplies and other infrastructure. It is also known that Russian forces have committed torture, abuse, sexual violence and mass executions. Not even children would be spared.
“We must do everything in our power to bring the perpetrators to justice,” said von der Leyen. The EU supports the role of the International Criminal Court in this. In addition, however, one is of the opinion that there is a own court for the prosecution of the Russian crime of aggression have to give. A first step is the establishment of the new international center in The Hague.
The EU Commission explained its commitment to a court of its own by saying that the International Criminal Court cannot intervene in the case of aggressive crimes committed by the highest political and military leadership in Russia, since Russia does not recognize the jurisdiction of the Criminal Court. Therefore, setting up several other options will now be discussed. The ICPA is a first step in this process to secure evidence for future trials.
#Ukraine #live #ticker #report #Germany #interested #Swiss #Leopard #tanks #FAZ