The European Parliament called for the establishment of an international war crimes tribunal in Ukraine
MEPs ask the European Union to insist on the creation of a special international tribunal, in close cooperation with Ukraine and the international community, to prosecute the political and military leadership of Russia and its allies. The text of the resolution was adopted on Thursday in Strasbourg with 472 votes in favour, 19 against and 33 abstentions.
MEPs call for the Russian political and military leadership to be held accountable for aggression against Ukraine. The establishment of a tribunal would fill gaps in the current institutional structure of international criminal justice and complement the investigative efforts of the International Criminal Court, which is currently unable to investigate war crimes in Ukraine.
The text of the resolution states that the exact modalities and composition of the special tribunal remain to be determined. The MEPs emphasised that this court must have the competence to investigate not only Vladimir Putin and the political and military leadership of the Russian Federation, but also Aleksandr Lukashenko and his associates in Belarus.
They also stress that preparations for the special court should begin without delay and focus on establishing modalities for the special court in cooperation with Ukraine. The Ukrainian and international authorities must be supported in order to obtain the evidence to be used in the future, it is stated in a statement issued by the European Parliament. European parliamentarians strongly believe that the establishment of a special court would send a clear signal to both Russian society and the international community that Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian leadership in general can be convicted for the war in Ukraine.
The vote in the European Parliament was immediately welcomed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who appealed to his partners to support such a tribunal because Russia must be held accountable and justice must prevail.
