The European Commission said on Tuesday that it was considering setting up an international prosecutor's office to gather evidence of the crime of aggression committed by Russia in Ukraine, before the possible creation of a special tribunal.
"
Before discussions on a special court can possibly garner sufficient international consensus and support, an inquiry mechanism could first be considered
," EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said in the hemicycle. of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Judging Russia's Crimes
"
The Commission is considering the possibility of setting up an international prosecutor's office, in order to launch investigations into the crime of aggression, with the aim of preserving and storing evidence for possible future trials
", he said. it develops.
"
Discussions are underway (...) this will be a first level in the fight against impunity
", affirmed Didier Reynders, also insisting on "
the unfailing commitment of the Commission
" so that the crimes committed in Ukraine "
cannot go unpunished
".
At the end of November, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen proposed to work on the creation of a special tribunal "
backed by the United Nations
" to try "
Russia's crimes of aggression
" in Ukraine, as claimed Kiev.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Monday in The Hague, seat of the International Criminal Court (ICC), also called for a "
new format
" of court to "
bring Russian leaders to justice
".
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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.
While Ukraine accepted the jurisdiction of the ICC, which enabled it in February to open an investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity in the country, "
we continue to believe that Ukraine should ratify the Treaty of Rome
”, insisted Didier Reynders.
“
That would be an important signal from Ukraine
,” added the European Commissioner.