- Carla Del Ponte, former UN chief prosecutor, called Putin a “war criminal”.
- Del Ponte called for an international arrest warrant for Putin.
- She said Russia had committed multiple war crimes and opposed the use of mass graves.
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A former United Nations chief prosecutor has called for an international arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, several Swiss media reported.
“Putin is a war criminal,” Carla Del Ponte, who previously prosecuted war crimes tribunals in former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, told the Swiss newspaper Le Temps.
Del Ponte told the Swiss newspaper Blick that she was surprised by the invasion and the ongoing war, stating she “never thought Russia would go that far”.
“You saw from day one that war crimes were being committed,” she told Blick.
She added that she was particularly surprised at the use of mass graves, which reminded her of the former Yugoslavia tribunals. Insiders previously reported that mass graves were discovered in several Ukrainian cities, including Mariupol and Bucha.
“I was hoping never to see a mass grave again,” Del Ponte told Blick. “One must not forget the humanitarian aspect either: these dead people have relatives who do not know what has become of them. This is unacceptable, so such mass graves must be reopened. You have to exhume and identify all the bodies, that’s a huge job.”
Del Ponte noted that Russia also committed war crimes, which included “attacking civilians and destroying private buildings.”
“These are all war crimes because they were clearly not aimed at military targets,” she said.
The International Criminal Court opened an investigation into alleged war crimes in Ukraine on February 28. Del Ponte said if the inquest finds evidence of crimes, the court should examine the chain of command until it identifies who issued the orders.
Del Ponte told Blick she was hoping for a quick indictment and warrants for her arrest. She added that she was “convinced” that Putin would be held accountable, noting that former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milošević had been indicted before the 1999 tribunal.
“Who would have thought back then that he would ever end up in court? Nobody!” She said.