International center for investigating Russian aggression against Ukraine opens at The Hague
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The International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA) has opened at The Hague, the Netherlands, on July 3, the European Commission reported on its website.
The newly established Center will be key to investigating Russia’s crime of aggression against Ukraine and facilitating case building for future trials, the EU body said.
It will also provide a structure to support and enhance ongoing and future investigations into the crime of aggression, and contribute to the exchange and analysis of evidence gathered since the start of the Russian aggression.
The center, set up with the support of the European Commission, is composed of selected national prosecutors that are already participating in the Joint Investigation Team, to which the center is linked in its operations.
The participating experts will be able to work together daily, exchange evidence quickly, and agree on a common strategy. This work is essential to prepare for future trials, be they before national or international courts, including a possible tribunal for the crime of aggression or the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes within its jurisdiction, the Commission emphasized.
“Evidence of countless international crimes committed by Russia is piling up,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
“The new international prosecution center will play a key role in making sure that the perpetrators are brought to justice, including for the crime of aggression. We will leave no stone unturned to hold Putin and his henchmen accountable.”
Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin took part in the center’s opening ceremony, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine reported on Telegram.
“This is the beginning of the end of impunity for the crime of aggression,” the agency quoted Kostin as saying.
“From today, Ukrainian prosecutors will be working in The Hague. JIT representatives from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, and Romania will join them in the ICPA’s work at the initial stage. The U.S. special prosecutor for the crime of aggression will support the center’s activities. Other countries and institutions will be able to join in the coming months.”
The establishment of the ICPA is a clear signal that the world is united towards ensuring the responsibility of the Russian regime for the crime of aggression, genocide and war crimes in Ukraine, the prosecutor general added.
Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Since then, the invading forces have launched missile and drone strikes not only along the front line, but also on cities and villages deep in the rear. Russian missiles hit civilian and critical infrastructure, causing civilian casualties.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba previously explained that the special tribunal is actually the only possibility to hold Russia’s top political and military leadership accountable for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
The European Parliament and PACE have supported the establishment of the tribunal in a number of resolutions.
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