After signing a deal with the Council of Europe to establish a special tribunal to prosecute Russian officials, including Putin, for the invasion of Ukraine, Zelenskyy called late on Wednesday.
After signing the agreement with Council of Europe Secretary-General Alain Berset, Zelenskyy said, “We must show clearly that aggression leads to punishment, and we must force it all over Europe.”
Every Russian war criminal, including Putin, will need strong political and legal courage, Zelenskyy said.
For the alleged war crime of illegally removing children from Ukraine, Putin is already facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
The ICC is authorized to investigate war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, but it is not authorized to investigate “crimes of aggression” or the use of force against another state.
The “crime of aggression” against Russia for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 is the subject of the creation of the special tribunal. In theory, the tribunal could trial prominent Russian figures, including Putin.
Although it is not yet known where the tribunal’s location will be, Zelenskyy claimed the ICC’s home would be “perfect.”
The Council of Europe, the continent’s top rights body, is the first organization to establish such a tribunal.
The special tribunal will “give Ukraine a path to justice for the top-level decision to invade its territory,” according to Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
The proposed tribunal, according to the European Council, could be used to prosecute those who aided Russia in the invasion of North Korea and Belarus.
The Council of Europe, which has 46 members, is not a member of the European Union, and includes important non-EU countries like Turkiye, the UK, and Ukraine. Following its invasion of Ukraine, Russia was removed from the body.
Source: Aljazeera
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