President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskytrip to Hague speak harshly before the International Criminal Court, where he called for the creation of a special court for Russia and urged to convict Vladimir Putin for “his criminal acts”.
Zelensky wants The Hague to create a special court to hold Russia accountable for its “crime” of aggression against Ukraine.
“There should be accountability for this crime. And that can only be enforced by the court,” Zelensky told diplomats and officials at the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin in March.
Zelensky, who arrived in the Netherlands on Wednesday evening after attending a Nordic summit in Finland, nonetheless rejected the idea of a “hybrid” court. made up of other states.
“The law must function fully to ensure justice,” Zelensky added, dismissing the idea of ”hybrid impunity.”
The United States expressed support in March for the creation of a special tribunal to attempt Russian “aggression” in Ukraine, with international funds and personnel but established in the judicial system of Ukraine.
The International Criminal Court and Russia
The International Criminal Court, created in 2002 to try people for the worst atrocities committed in the world, does not have the power to judge crimes of aggression against Russia, which is not a signatory to the Rome Statute by which this court was created.
Not even the United States is a party to the ICC.
In March, the court issued an arrest warrant against President Putin for the war crime of “illegal deportation” of Ukrainian children in connection with the conflict.
For Zelenskyj, true justice must be sought. And he called for “bold decisions” to correct the shortcomings of international law.
“It is our historical responsibility” to make the punishment of the crime of aggression inevitable to avoid new wars, he stressed. “More than the fate of a country is at stake: an aggressor’s defeat can be achieved and the end of the wars of aggression as such,” he said.
According to the Ukrainian leader, only in April Russia has committed 6,149 war crimes in Ukraine, with 207 civilian deaths, including 11 children. In Wednesday’s shelling in Kherson they died 23 civilians and 45 were injured, he recalled.
He attributed the origin of these crimes to a Russian aggression that began more than nine years ago, with the annexation of the Crimea peninsula and the “bloody war” in Donbas. Hundreds of foreign nationals were killed by “Russian hands” when Flight MH17 was shot down in 2014, he recalled, referring to the Malaysia Airlines plane en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.
such as Nuremberg
Zelensky also referred the experience of the Nuremberg Tribunal, who held those responsible for the crimes of Nazism at the end of the Second World War. A special international court it was the only example capable of ensuring that those responsible for a war of aggression are held to account.
So far, 35 countries, including the Netherlands, they supported the creation of a special international court for the crimes of this war of aggression, while some, including the United States, have suggested the creation of the tribunal “hybrid” or “joint”, with international participation but on the basis of the same Ukrainian laws.
During his visit to Finland, the Ukrainian leader sought the support of this country and of the other four who participated in the so-called “Nordic summit” (Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Iceland).
Zelensky was received in The Hague by the presidents of the Dutch Senate and Parliament, Jan Anthonie Bruijn and Vera Bergkamp.
His visit also coincides this Thursday 4 May with the remembrance day, in memory of fallen in World War II, day during which various commemorative events are planned, the most important of which is in Dam Square in Amsterdam.
Zelensky has traveled abroad frequently in recent months, including UK, France and Poland, Last December’s visit to the United States was his first foreign visit since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February last year.
The Netherlands supported Ukraine with weapons, money and technology, as well as with the training of Ukrainian soldiers on Dutch territory.
The Dutch government has mobilized around 2.5 billion euros this year to support Ukraine. Most of these funds are intended for military support to Kiev.
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Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.