-
Liz Truss: UK to send investigators to Ukraine, focus on sex violence
The Arab News reported, citing Reuters, UK foreign minister Liz Truss said on Friday (Apr 29) that Britain will send investigators to Ukraine to help gather evidence of war crimes, including sexual violence.
Both Ukrainian prosecutors and the International Criminal Court (ICC) are investigating potential war crimes in Ukraine since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion, which the Kremlin calls a “special military operation” to demilitarise its neighbor.
Moscow denies committing war crimes in Ukraine or targeting civilians during a war that has killed thousands, devastated many cities and towns and forced five million people, mostly women and children, to flee abroad.
Speaking after meeting with ICC officials, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said a British team would head to Ukraine in May with a special emphasis on investigating rape as a possible war crime.
8,000 British troops set for biggest deployment to Europe since the Cold War
She said: “It’s done to subjugate women and destroy communities and we want to see it stopped."
She said outside the court building in The Hague: “This is about collecting a wide range of evidence, witness statements, forensic evidence, and video evidence."
In a meeting with her Dutch counterpart Wopke Hoekstra, Truss said Britain endorses prosecuting Russian leaders for the war crime of aggression — a thorny question under international law.
Liz Truss urges NATO and G7 partners to ban Russian ships and set timetable for oil and gas exit
The ICC has jurisdiction over war crimes committed on Ukrainian soil, including by Russian soldiers, but cannot bring aggression charges since Russia is not a member of the court.
Some politicians and legal experts have called for the establishment of a separate tribunal as the quickest way to hold Russian politicians responsible for an illegal war.
Truss said: “We want to see all the crimes prosecuted."
Liz Truss reveals UK's conditions for lifting Russia sanctions
However, she added, “I’m concerned that if there’s focus on setting up an additional tribunal that will divert resources away from this vital evidence collecting.”
Source: arabnews
