Editorial of the “World”. For Joe Biden, President of the United States, Vladimir Putin is a “war criminal”. Two weeks before him on March 2, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, had judged the Russian President guilty of “war crimes” in Ukraine, sovereign state invaded by the Russian army on February 24th. These are serious accusations, but at the purely political reach. While testimonials of deliberate abuses against civilians are multiplying in Ukraine, it is now up to international justice to do its job. It is essential that it can reserve for this aggression and its consequences for the population the judicial treatment they deserve.
In what form? The most appropriate jurisdiction is, of course, the International Criminal Court (ICC). Forty countries, including France, asked him to seize this file. In 2016, Russia withdrew its signature of the Treaty creating the ICC, which it had signed in 2000, but its nationals covered by an arrest warrant may be arrested everywhere.
On March 2, the CPI Prosecutor, the British Karim Khan, opened an investigation into crimes against humanity and war crimes that could have been committed in Ukraine since 21 November 2013 – specific request formulated by kyiv.
The work of collecting the evidence has started. The Prosecutor went to Ukraine on March 16th. He met with the Attorney General of Ukraine, Iryna Veediktova, whose services collect evidence from the first day. The ICC can pursue all authors of war crimes, including Vladimir Putin, since it does not recognize the immunity granted to heads of state by national courts.
The Prosecutor Khan also investigates the crimes that could be committed Ukrainian side (against prisoners, for example) and sent a request to Russia to request its cooperation.
The ICC could thus issue arrest warrants in a few months against Russian officers in Ukraine, which kyiv, if they were taken prisoners, could choose to transfer to the Hague. These arrest mandates often involve a part on the history of the crimes whose suspects are accused: their supervisor is none other than Vladimir Putin, whose responsibility, at least in the decision of the triggering of the war, could be cited. . Nothing, legally, will prevent the Prosecutor from issuing a mandate against President Putin if the evidence is met.
so that Russian leaders do not sleep in peace
Ukraine also seized, on February 27, the International Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights. The lawyer Philippe Sands and the former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown ask, the creation of a special court to examine the crime of aggression committed by Russia, which does not show any doubt but of which can not be End the ICC, since the two states concerned, Russia and Ukraine, have not ratified its status.
All these initiatives are welcome, as much as the Vladimir Putin war remains unpunished. In any case, it is necessary to support the work of Ukrainian justice and that of the ICC, so that the prospect of judgment mandates can reflect some Russian, civilian and military leaders. So that they never sleep at peace, it must be reminded, among others, Serbian leaders Slobodan Milosevic and Radovan Karadzic, which we ended up dragging before the Judges of The Hague.