90 Ukrainian judges will receive UK-provided training to conduct war crimes trials, a British newspaper reported sky news this Wednesday. This training should allow these magistrates to make judgments while the war with Russia is still ongoing.
“These 90 judges will return after very intensive training, capable of better managing these courts,” Attorney General Victoria Prentis told the newspaper.
“A very different exercise”
A first group of judges began this preparation in an undisclosed location. It is headed by Howard Morrison, a British judge who has worked notably at the International Criminal Court.
he explains to sky news that facing mass graves is “a very different exercise” from what judges usually face. Those in training “are very aware of the need to conduct these trials in accordance with internationally recognized standards,” she said.
In particular, it is about allowing Ukrainian judges to start handing down sentences while the war is still going on.
Thousands of war crimes investigations have been launched in Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict. The first Russian soldier was tried and sentenced to life in prison in Kyiv for the murder of a civilian in May.
“Bring to justice all those who started this war”
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, again requested this Wednesday the creation “as soon as possible” of a special court to judge Russia’s crimes in his country, on the occasion of the official delivery to the Ukrainian people of the Sakharov Prize for the freedom of thought.
“We cannot wait until the end of the war to bring to justice all those who have started this war, we must also prevent such aggressions from being repeated”, declared the leader, “this court must be constituted and must begin to function very soon ,” he continued.
The European Commission had proposed at the end of November to work on the creation of a special court to judge “Russian crimes” in Ukraine.
The International Criminal Court is also currently conducting its own investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine.
Source: BFM TV
