Crimes against Humanity brought to the Hague
Lithuania is turning to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague over the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Russia and Belarus in Ukraine.
On February 28, the Lithuanian government approved an initiative by the justice and foreign ministries to request the ICC prosecutor to open an investigation into the crimes of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus committed and being committed in Ukraine. The question of the responsibility of specific individuals, responsible for decision-making in the Putin and Lukashenko regimes, is being raised.
According to Lithuanian Justice Minister Evelina Dobrovolska, action is needed immediately in the face of the brutal aggression by Russia and Belarus against Ukraine. Lithuania is reacting urgently to the violations of international law and is seeking to assist Ukraine through legal means by opening an investigation at the ICC, she added. “Yesterday, I spoke on the phone with Ukrainian Justice Minister Denys Maliuska. I expressed my support and informed him that Lithuania will make use of the right under the Rome Statute to appeal to the prosecutor of the Hague Tribunal,” Dobrovolska said. “I also offered the Lithuanian justice ministry’s full assistance to Ukraine – from lawyers to anything else that might be needed,” she said.
The justice ministry has collected and handed over the material needed to open an investigation. Lithuania’s appeal describes the situation in Ukraine, outlines the known violations of international law, provides a legal assessment of them, and presents arguments.
Under the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, any member state may lodge a complaint with the prosecutor. The purpose of this procedure is to provide the available information for the prosecutor to verify and, if warranted, to open an investigation into the offences. It also helps the prosecutor to gather information from different entities and sources.
“A request is being submitted to the prosecutor with the request to investigate the situation in Ukraine regarding the war crimes under Article 8 of the Rome Statute and crimes against humanity under Article 7 of the Rome Statute, committed by Russia with Belarus’ assistance,” the Lithuanian justice minister said. LRT.lt
