The European Commission said on Tuesday it was considering setting up an international prosecutor’s office to collect evidence of Russia’s crime of aggression in Ukraine, ahead of the possible creation of a special court.
“Before discussions on a special court can gain sufficient consensus and international support, an investigative mechanism could first be considered,” EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said on the European Parliament hemicycle in Strasbourg.
“The Commission is considering the possibility of installing an international prosecutor’s office, in order to initiate investigations into the crime of aggression, with the aim of preserving and storing evidence for possible future trials,” he said.
“It is being discussed (…) this will be a first level in the fight against impunity,” said Didier Reynders, who also insisted on “the Commission’s unwavering commitment” so that crimes committed in Ukraine “do not go unpunished.” .
“Bring Russian leaders to justice”
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called on Monday in The Hague, the seat of the International Criminal Court (ICC), for a “new format” of court to “bring Russian leaders to justice.”
The ICC only has jurisdiction over war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine and not over Russia’s “crimes of aggression” because Moscow and kyiv are not signatories to the Treaty of Rome establishing the Court.
Although Ukraine accepted the jurisdiction of the ICC, which allowed it to open an investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity in the country in February, “we continue to believe that Ukraine must ratify the Treaty of Rome,” Didier Reynders insisted.
“That would be an important signal from Ukraine,” added the European commissioner.
Source: BFM TV
