Ukrainian chief indicators an accord with the Council of Europe to arrange a particular tribunal to at some point 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 felony” 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-Basic Alain Berset.
“It can take sturdy political and authorized braveness to ensure each Russian struggle felony faces justice, together with Putin,” Zelenskyy mentioned.
Putin is already dealing with an arrest warrant issued by the Worldwide Prison Court docket (ICC) in The Hague for the alleged struggle crime of illegally transporting kids out of Ukraine.
The ICC has the jurisdiction to research struggle crimes, crimes towards humanity, and genocide, nevertheless it doesn’t have the jurisdiction to research “crimes of aggression” or the usage of armed power towards one other state.
The particular tribunal is being established to at some point 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 can be based mostly, however Zelenskyy mentioned The Hague, the house of the ICC, can be “excellent”.
That is the primary time such a tribunal has been arrange beneath 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 fallacious that no different worldwide courtroom or tribunal can at present deal with”.
The European Council mentioned the proposed tribunal might doubtlessly be used to prosecute North Korean and Belarusian people who assisted Russia within the invasion.
The 46-member Council of Europe shouldn’t be 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 in search of to arrest 4 of Russia’s prime commanders for focusing on civilians.