Prime Minister: Political decision on the establishment of international Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine has been agreed
The European Union Foreign Ministers have supported the establishment of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. This was announced by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal following a meeting of the Coalition of States to establish a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, which took place in Lviv on May 9.
"Today, a political decision has been made to approve the work of the legal teams of the Coalition member states. The next step is to launch the legal procedure for establishing the Tribunal. It will be done in the near future," noted Denys Shmyhal.
He emphasized that the main objective of the Special Tribunal is to investigate, prosecute and try cases against those who bear the main responsibility for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
According to the Prime Minister, since the beginning of the full-scale war, russians have either destroyed or damaged more than 218,000 civilian infrastructure objects: residential buildings, schools, hospitals, churches. Some 616 children have been killed, more than 1,800 injured, and more than 19,000 deported to russia. Crimes committed against civilians and inhuman treatment of prisoners of war and violations of their rights are systemic.
Denys Shmyhal said that Ukraine had recorded more than 167,000 crimes of aggression and war crimes committed by russia.
"Behind each of those is a name. And it is important that these people are held accountable for criminal orders and for their execution. Ukraine is already doing this work. 735 people have been notified of war crimes committed. 471 proceedings have been brought to court, and 241 verdicts have been delivered. 40 russian officials have been notified of charges. But we have to bring to justice the top political and military leadership of russia," the Prime Minister emphasized and added that 40 countries had joined the Coalition to create a Special Tribunal within the Council of Europe.
The Head of the Ukrainian Government thanked the Government of the Netherlands for its readiness to host the tribunal in The Hague, as well as all those who have been working hard to create it for three years. He also expressed his gratitude to the Council of Europe and the European Union for their key role in finalizing the work of the Coalition and shaping the legal framework for the tribunal.