Ukraine’s Zelenskyy urges trial for ‘war criminal’ Putin

Ukrainian person signs an accord with the Council of Europe to acceptable up a peculiar tribunal to 1 time enactment apical Russian officials connected trial.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for the prosecution of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom helium accused of being a “war criminal” for launching Russia’s onslaught connected Ukraine.

Zelenskyy issued the telephone precocious connected Wednesday aft helium signed an accord with the Council of Europe to acceptable up a peculiar tribunal to prosecute Russian officials, including Putin, for the penetration of Ukraine.

“We request to amusement clearly, aggression leads to punishment, and we indispensable marque it hap together, each of Europe,” said Zelenskyy aft signing the accord with Council of Europe Secretary-General Alain Berset.

“It volition instrumentality beardown governmental and ineligible courageousness to marque definite each Russian warfare transgression faces justice, including Putin,” Zelenskyy said.

Putin is already facing an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) successful The Hague for the alleged warfare transgression of illegally transporting children retired of Ukraine.

The ICC has the jurisdiction to analyse warfare crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, but it does not person the jurisdiction to analyse “crimes of aggression” oregon the usage of equipped unit against different state.

The peculiar tribunal is being established to 1 time prosecute Russia’s “crime of aggression” for the full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful February 2022. The tribunal could, successful theory, enactment connected proceedings elder Russian figures, including Putin.

It has not yet been decided wherever the tribunal would beryllium based, but Zelenskyy said The Hague, the location of the ICC, would beryllium “perfect”.

This is the archetypal clip specified a tribunal has been acceptable up nether the aegis of the Council of Europe, the continent’s apical rights body.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, antecedently said the peculiar tribunal would “give Ukraine a way to justness for the top-level determination to invade its territory – a incorrect that nary different planetary tribunal oregon tribunal tin presently address”.

The European Council said the projected tribunal could perchance beryllium utilized to prosecute North Korean and Belarusian individuals who assisted Russia successful the invasion.

The 46-member Council of Europe is not portion of the European Union and members see cardinal non-EU European states specified arsenic Turkiye, the United Kingdom and Ukraine. Russia was expelled from the assemblage successful the aftermath of its penetration of Ukraine.

Alongside its apprehension warrant for Putin, the ICC is besides seeking to apprehension 4 of Russia’s apical commanders for targeting civilians.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies