On January 6 the Statement, calling for the creation of a special tribunal for the punishment of the crime of aggression against Ukraine, was published by the former British prime minister Gordon Brown and later was broadcasted by key media such as Observer and Guardian.
Statement was prepared with participating of Philippe Sands, a law professor who was the first to raise the idea of a special tribunal. Others who signed the statement include the human rights barristers Cherie Blair and Helena Kennedy, and such figures including the Labour leader Keir Starmer, the former NATO Secretary General George Robertson, the former foreign secretary David Owen, and former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith.
Statement points that it has been 10 months since Russia, backed by Belarus, launched one of the largest ground invasions in Europe since the Second World War. And, statement adds, the acts of aggression can be traced back not only to the February invasion but to the decision of Russia’s military and political leadership to attack and occupy Crimea, the City of Sevastopol, and the Donbas from 2014 onwards.
Since Russia has not ratified Roma statute and would exercise its illegal “veto” in the UN Security Council against a referral, the International Criminal Court cannot, as things presently stand, investigate exactly crimes of aggression against Ukraine, investigating Russia’s war crimes and genocide issues, adds Statement.
So, the authors point, the Special Tribunal should be constituted to investigate the acts of aggression by Russia, aided by Belarus, in Ukraine. As well as investigating and indicting President Putin, the tribunal could also hold to account the members of Russia, and possibly Belarus’, national security council, as well as the Russian political and military leaders of this manifestly illegal war, adds the Statement.
Statement reminds the support of this concept by international lawyers, European Commission’s President Ursula von der Leyen, the French foreign ministry and the Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra and called for the UK government to support a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression being committed in Ukraine.
Let us remind that ARC’s expert, professor Borys Babin discussed with mentioned professor Philippe Sands those issues in Lviv forum on October, 2022 and all relevant our Association researches of 2020-2022 were granted for Dr. Sands in framework of next co-operation, regarding the vital importance of this issue.
