24 February marks one year since the beginning of the massive escalation of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. This anniversary arrives as the debate about coming to terms with and prosecuting Russian war crimes in Ukraine, along with crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression, is gaining momentum. There are strong indications of violations of international law resulting from Russian aggression, which are now being prosecuted by the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office, as well as by the International Criminal Court and various other states.
Crucial questions about how to prosecute the crimes in Ukraine, however, remain unresolved. How can high-level perpetrators successfully be held accountable? Is there a need for a special tribunal, or can steps be taken to strengthen the international criminal justice system as a whole, so that internationally binding standards apply to all and that those affected by injustice in other countries and conflicts can also effectively claim their rights?
Consistently holding those responsible to account
ECCHR has now published a web dossier to frame this discussion and identify ways to support victims of crimes, on the one hand, and to strengthen international justice overall, on the other. The dossier not only provides a Q&A on legal issues concerning prosecution, but also a collection of interviews, videos and articles related to this broader discussion. Regarding the publication, Andreas Schüller, Head of the International Crimes and Accountability program at ECCHR, says: “The Russian war of aggression is also an attack on international law. The international community must now strengthen the international legal order and end double standards.”
The web dossier will be successively expanded in the coming months, and a Ukrainian version will be added in the near future.
Read our web dossier.
