British politicians across political divides have called for a special tribunal to investigate Russia’s “crime of aggression” in Ukraine.
A statement posted on the website of former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Friday said the International Criminal Court (ICC) had “limited to the crime of aggression” to complement the ongoing investigation into the Russian war. He proposed the creation of a special tribunal focused on Ukrainian crime.
The proposal has received support from British politicians, including opposition leader Kiel Sturmer and former Conservative Party leader and MP Yin Duncan Smith, according to British newspapers. observersaid a copy of the statement was shared with them.
The United Nations defines aggression as “the use of force by a State against the sovereignty, territorial integrity or political independence of another State or otherwise contrary to the Charter of the United Nations”.
The ICC cannot investigate crimes of aggression allegedly committed by states that are not parties to the Rome Laws that established the Tribunal unless the United Nations Security Council raises the issue.
Russia has not ratified the Rome Statute and is likely to “veto the referral in the Security Council,” leaving the ICC unable to “investigate the crime of aggression against Ukraine.” the statement said.
In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Thursday, Brown said he believed Putin “only understands strength” after dealing with Russian President Vladimir Putin while in office.
“One of the strengths we have is to say that this is an international crime, especially the crime of aggression,” Brown added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the court last month to investigate the crime of aggression during an event hosted by the US Peace Institute, the Atlantic Council and the Ukrainian Embassy.
“The sin of aggression is the alpha and omega of war,” Zelensky emphasized in his remarks.
“To start a criminal and unprovoked war is to open the door to thousands of crimes committed during hostilities and in occupied territories,” the president added.
A British politician said the tribunal could be formed in a format similar to the Nuremberg Trials, which took place from 1945 to 1946.
“On the same principles that guided the Allies in 1941, a special tribunal was formed to investigate the acts of aggression in Ukraine by Russia, supported by Belarus, and whether they constituted a crime of aggression. need to,” said a statement on Friday.
“In addition to investigating and prosecuting President Putin, the court will also hold accountable Russia, and possibly Belarus’s members of the National Security Council, and the political and military leaders of this apparently illegal war. We can,” the statement continued.
The UK is not the first country to publicly express support for such a court. The court was originally proposed in February by British and French lawyer Philip Sands.
On November 30, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement that the EU would “set up a special tribunal with the support of the United Nations to investigate and prosecute Russian aggression crimes.” outlines the proposals for
Von der Leyen expressed the EU’s willingness to “cooperate with the international community to obtain the widest possible international support for this specialized court”.
