On July 15, the Verkhovna Rada ratified the Agreement between Ukraine and the Council of Europe on the Establishment of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
This was reported by Yaroslav Zheleznyak, a member of parliament from the “Voice” party.
This is bill No. 0328. At the plenary session on Tuesday, 323 parliamentarians voted in favor, Zheleznyak added.
President Volodymyr Zelensky and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset signed an agreement to establish the Special Tribunal on June 25 in Strasbourg. And on July 1, Zelensky signed documents to ratify this agreement.
What is known about the creation of the Special Tribunal?
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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