President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, signed a deal today in Strasbourg to formally establish a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
“It will take strong political and legal courage to make sure every Russian war criminal faces justice, including Putin,” Zelensky told reporters.
As announced earlier this week, the Special Tribunal will have jurisdiction to prosecute senior officials for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, in violation of the UN Charter’s prohibition against the aggressive use of armed force against another state.
While the International Criminal Court (ICC) currently has active cases against Putin and Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova for the unlawful deportation and transportation of populations, the new European tribunal will fill a gap in human rights enforcement against Russia because the ICC does not have jurisdiction over the crime of aggression.
“We need to show clearly aggression leads to punishment, and we must make it happen together, all of Europe,” said Zelensky after signing the accord. “There is still a long way to go. Justice takes time, but it must happen,” he added.
The 46-member Council of Europe is a human rights organization that includes non-European Union countries such as the UK, Turkey, Ukraine, and Russia – until it was kicked out in 2022.
“We need to show clearly aggression leads to punishment and we must make it happen together, all of Europe,” said Zelensky after signing the agreement with the Council of Europe, according to Barrons.
“Every war criminal must know there will be justice, and that includes Russia,” said Zelensky.
Secretary-General Berset said he hoped the tribunal could begin as early as next year, and it is still not clear where the tribunal will be based.
“International law must apply to all, with no exceptions and no double standards,” said Berset.
The Special Tribunal will have jurisdiction to prosecute senior officials for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, in violation of the UN Charter’s prohibition against the use of armed force against another state.
It has not yet been decided where the tribunal would be based, but Zelensky said The Hague would be “perfect,” AFP reported.