Ukraine and the Council of Europe signed this last night the creation of a special court to judge the “crime of aggression” by Russia, that is, the invasion itself of Ukraine ordered from Moscow, something for which the (CPI) has no jurisdiction.
In a ceremony in Strasbourg (France), the headquarters of the Council of Europe, the president of Ukraine, and the general secretary of the Paneuropea organization, Alain Berset, formalized an agreement that, according to the Ukrainian president, implies a “real option to do justice to the crime of aggression.”
“All war criminals should know that there will be justice and that includes Russia,” Zelenski stressed in an appearance after the signing of the agreement.
“All war criminals should know that there will be justice and that includes Russia”
The Ukrainian president, who traveled to Strasbourg after having attended the NATO summit held this day in The Hague (Netherlands), where he met with his American counterpart, said that “other institutions, even international, do not have the tools” to judge the invasion itself, something that is indispensable. “We need to clearly show that aggression carries punishment and we must do it together throughout Europe,” he said.
For his part, Berset pointed out that “all institutions have a role to play and, for the Council of Europe, that role is that of justice and accountability.”
Just before the firm he had also highlighted that a “lasting peace for Ukraine and for Europe as a whole” is not possible without “accountability”, and that the organization based in Strasbourg cannot “look the other way” while European values are questioned.
The so -called Special Court for Ukraine will act under the sponsorship of the Council of Europe with the mandate of processing senior leaders for the invasion of Ukraine.
“This crime refers to the decision to use the armed force against another State, in violation of the United Nations Charter,” said the Paneuropea institution, which is dedicated to promoting cooperation, human rights and democratic values in the continent.
The initiative was launched on May 9 in Leopolis (Ukraine), where about 40 countries signed a statement in which they promised to promote the creation of a special court to judge those responsible for the Russian military invasion.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) currently has no jurisdiction to judge Russia for the decision to launch an invasion in itself, although it has issued arrest warrants against the Russian president, and other leaders for war crimes and human rights violations such as the forced deportation of Ukrainian children.
Russia was a member of the Council of Europe, but was expelled in April 2022 for the invasion of Ukraine and Moscow has ceased all cooperation with both that agency in Strasbourg headquarters and its Human Rights Court (ECHR).
