19 January 2023, Thursday, 18:20 941

European Parliament Votes For Tribunal For Putin And Lukashenko

Editor: Tetiana Herasimova

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The European Parliament has supported a resolution on the creation of a tribunal to prosecute the top leadership of Russia and Belarus for crimes of aggression against Ukraine. This was stated in a message on the EP website on Thursday, January 19.

In the adopted resolution, MEPs demand that Russia's political and military leadership be held accountable for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. The European Parliament notes that the atrocities of the Russian military in Bucha, Irpin and many other Ukrainian cities reveal the brutality of the war and emphasize the importance of coordinated international actions to bring the perpetrators to justice in accordance with international law.

"Parliament strongly believes that the establishment of a special tribunal would send a very clear signal to both Russian society and the international community that President Putin and the Russian leadership at large can be convicted for the crime of aggression in Ukraine. MEPs point out that it is no longer feasible for the Russian Federation under Putin’s leadership to return to business as usual with the west,” the statement said.

The establishment of the tribunal, MEPs argue, would fill the vacuum in international criminal justice and complement the investigative efforts of the International Criminal Court, since it cannot currently investigate the crime of aggression when it comes to Ukraine. The resolution was passed with 472 votes in favor, 19 spoke out against, 33 abstained.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on January 17, Deputy Head of the Office of the President Andrii Smirnov called for the creation of a special international Tribunal to investigate the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

On December 1, it became known that in France, together with Ukraine, they began to create a special tribunal for Russia's armed aggression in Ukraine.

On November 29, representatives of the French Foreign Ministry and Ministry of Justice supported the creation of the Tribunal, which will judge the top political leadership of Russia for the crime of aggression.

On September 22, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy formed a working group to create a special tribunal on the crime of aggression of the Russian Federation.