The Czech Republic, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, called on Saturday for the establishment of an international war crimes tribunal after the discovery of hundreds of bodies buried in Ukraine.
The call comes after the discovery of some 450 graves on the outskirts of Izium, a city in eastern Ukraine that was recaptured from the Russians last week, with some of the exhumed bodies showing signs of torture.
“In the 21st century, these attacks on the civilian population are unthinkable and horrific,” Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said on his Twitter account.
“We must not ignore it. We are for the punishment of all war criminals”he added, insisting: “I call for the speedy establishment of a special international tribunal that will prosecute the crime of aggression”.
According to the researchers, some of the exhumed bodies had their hands tied behind their backs. Child bodies were also found..
The Czech Republic, a former communist country and now a member of the European Union and NATO, took in about 400,000 Ukrainian refugees and provided military aid worth about €150 million to Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia on February 24.
So far, about 450 graves have been found near Izium, in the area liberated from Kharkov by Ukrainian troops.
According to Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian troops had committed “atrocities” similar to those in Bucha, the city on the outskirts of Kiev, where hundreds of civilian bodies with signs of torture were found in April and apparently executed.
Ukraine, backed by a UN commission and international investigators, accuses Moscow of war crimes committed in that city on the outskirts of the capital.
Source: DN
