According to The Baltic Times, the chairs of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committees from 20 European countries have issued a joint statement calling for the establishment of a special international tribunal for the perpetrators of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. Issued on January 30, the statement condemns Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, rejects the annexation of the occupied territories, and supports the investigation launched by the International Criminal Court.
“We advocate the establishment of a dedicated international tribunal for bringing to justice the perpetrators of the international crime of aggression initiated by the Russian Federation on 24 February 2022 with a full-scale military invasion of the territory of sovereign Ukraine, by setting up an appropriate legal basis for this purpose, in addition to the International Criminal Court which cannot exercise jurisdiction over this aggression,” the statement reads.
It underlines that the crimes committed so far by the armed forces of the Russian Federation in Ukraine demonstrate cynicism and impunity, and disregard toward regulations and laws that limit the use of military force.
The statement was signed by the chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Slovenia, Croatia, Spain, Sweden, Ireland, Norway, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Germany, Bulgaria, the Netherlands and the European Parliament.
In mid-October, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia called on the European Union and its international partners to set up a special tribunal to investigate the crimes of Russian aggression in Ukraine. The countries argue that such a tribunal would also bring the Russian leadership to justice.
The special tribunal would target Russia’s civilian and military leadership for ordering and supervising the invasion of Ukraine.
