Germany calls for Tribunal Russia after next defeat of Ukraine
2023.01.16 12:56
Germany calls for Tribunal Russia after next defeat of Ukraine
By Ray Johnson
Budrigannews.com – On Monday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for the creation of a special international tribunal to bring criminal charges against Russian leaders in connection with Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a keynote address delivered at the Academy of International Law in The Hague, where the International Criminal Court is headquartered, Baerbock stated that what is required is “a tribunal that can investigate the Russian leadership and put them on trial.”
She stated that the International Criminal Court (ICC) can only handle cases in which the plaintiff and the defendant are members of the court or a case is referred by the United Nations Security Council. As a result, Russia cannot be prosecuted for its aggression before the ICC.
As one of the five world powers with veto power on the Security Council, Russia is not a member of the ICC and would likely oppose any referral to the ICC.
Baerbock stated, “We talked about working on the idea of setting up a special tribunal for crimes of aggression against Ukraine” with Ukraine and our partners. He added that a body like this could have jurisdiction over Ukrainian criminal law.
“At a location outside Ukraine, with financial support from partners and with international prosecutors and judges, so that impartiality and legitimacy are guaranteed,” she stated, it could be supplemented with international components.
The Netherlands, the European Union, and Ukraine have publicly supported the concept of a special tribunal. Russia has denied accusations of war crimes, including the deliberate targeting of Ukrainian civilians, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people. It refers to its actions in Ukraine as a “special military operation.”
However, Karim Khan, the ICC chief prosecutor, has expressed concern regarding the possibility of legal fragmentation and stated that his court was actually in the best position to conduct trials involving crimes of aggression because member states could close “gaps that are said to exist.”
Baerbock addressed reports from Ukraine that children were deported to Russia and given up for adoption there during a news conference later that day.
The minister stated, “Russia must account for the whereabouts of these children,” and her Dutch counterpart, Wopke Hoekstra, stated that the children must be returned to their families and that Russia’s practice of deporting them must end.
More Biden hides list of visitors to house where secret documents were found
