Posted Jan 7, 2023 at 5:21pm. Updated January 7, 2023 at 8:58 p.m.
Justice ministers from around the world will meet in London in March to express their support for the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its investigation into alleged war crimes in Ukraine, the British government announced on Saturday.
The meeting aims to coordinate efforts and increase support, including financial, to ensure the court can successfully investigate and prosecute those responsible, the statement said. Attendees will also discuss ways they can help collect and share evidence of atrocities and assist victims.
The meeting, hosted by UK Justice Secretary Dominic Raab and his Dutch counterpart Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius, will be attended by ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan.
“Nearly a year after the illegal invasion, the international community must strongly support the ICC so that war criminals can be held accountable for the atrocities we are witnessing,” said Dominic Raab, who is also UK Deputy Prime Minister alongside Rishi Sunak.
“The Russian armed forces must know that they cannot act with impunity and that we will support Ukraine until justice is done,” he added.
In 2022, an investigation into possible war crimes was launched
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court launched an investigation into possible war crimes in Ukraine last year. Legal experts argue that the court’s jurisdiction over aggression extends only to member states and countries that recognize its jurisdiction, which is the case for Ukraine but not Russia.
Russia, which describes its actions in Ukraine as a “military special operation,” has so far denied attacking civilians and committing war crimes. On the contrary, Ukraine and Western countries believe that Moscow is waging an occupation war.
“It is clear to us that these crimes cannot go unpunished,” emphasized the Minister of Justice of the Netherlands, describing the information and images from Ukraine as “terrible”.
As a reminder, Britain is one of Ukraine’s first supporters. It has already given him £2.3 billion ($2.78 billion) worth of military support.
source agencies