Ukraine signed an agreement with the Council of Europe to establish a Special Tribunal to investigate the crime of aggression against Ukraine

On June 25, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset signed an agreement in Strasbourg to establish a Special Tribunal to investigate the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

This became known from the broadcast of the Council of Europe.

According to Alain Berset, negotiations will now begin on an expanded partial agreement "so that as many countries as possible can join, support and assist in the administration of the tribunal".

"Todayʼs agreement and this tribunal give us a real opportunity to hold accountable the crime of aggression. Other institutions, even international ones, do not have the necessary tools for this, and we must clearly show that aggression leads to punishment, and we must do this together throughout Europe," Zelensky said.

• Ukraine insists on the establishment of a Special Tribunal for the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine, since the International Criminal Court and other similar institutions cannot at this stage consider cases for such crimes. The need to establish a Special Tribunal for Russia has already been supported by a number of European and international institutions, including the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assemblies of NATO and the OSCE, as well as individual countries (for example, France, Germany and Latvia).
• On May 9, the heads of foreign ministries of European countries and the EU leadership expressed political support for the launch of the Special Tribunal for the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine.
• The Statute of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine is also ready. The document does not mention personal immunities. Even the current leaders of the aggressor state will not be able to avoid responsibility. One of Ukraineʼs important achievements is the introduction of a mechanism for considering cases in the absence of the accused. This approach paves the way for holding the political and military leadership of the Russian Federation, and in the future, Belarus and the DPRK, accountable. More details about the main provisions of the statute are in the news.

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