untitled design

Is Putin in the seat of the Hague Tribunal?


As of today, two international courts are examining the war in Ukraine and Putin’s personal responsibility. “It is not possible for him to sit in the dock.”

Two International Courts have their say today, both based in The Hague. Ukraine appealed to the UN International Court of Justice, which resolves disputes between states, a few days ago under the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Suppression of Genocide. The aim is to recognize what Russia is doing in Ukraine as crimes of genocide and to take steps to stop the fighting. The lawyers of Kiev have the floor today, tomorrow the baton will be taken by the lawyers of Moscow.

Difficulties in matters of jurisdiction

The crucial element of the procedure is that both the plaintiff state and the defendant must recognize jurisdiction by consensus. But Russia, by the way, and the United States have never fully acknowledged the Court’s jurisdiction, but must give it up in individual cases, according to Deutsche Welle expert Kari Abos, an expert at the International Criminal Court at the University of Gκέttingen. Therefore, the whole process is hardly expected to lead to tangible results for Ukraine, which accepts the Russian attacks, however the trial draws attention to the international courts that will deal with Putin’s war. The second is a foreign case before the International Criminal Court, which examines war crimes and crimes against humanity against individuals, in this case those responsible for the war in Ukraine and personally by Vladimir Putin himself.

“The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a blatant violation of international law,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the day before. “We have seen the use of cluster munitions, we have seen reports of other types of weapons being used in violation of international law. And of course, NATO, its allies and NATO partners are gathering information and monitoring what is happening in Ukraine. I would be happy if “The International Criminal Court has decided to launch an investigation, because we have to make sure that President Putin and the President of Belarus are accountable for what they do. What they are doing is barbaric, inhumane and violating international law.”

High-speed proceedings in the International Criminal Court

Carrie Abos has been impressed by the speed with which evidence has already been gathered since the February 24 invasion of Russia. “It is extremely unusual, for the first time since the existence of the Court, that prosecutors react so quickly without even interfering with the UN Security Council,” he told DW. The work of British Attorney General Karim Khan is even more important than the fact that 38 countries, led by Great Britain, formally support the process. In addition to Germany, the 38 supporting countries include almost all EU members, as well as Canada, New Zealand and Costa Rica. Will Russian President Vladimir Putin ever sit in the dock if the trial goes ahead? “It is not completely ruled out, but it is not possible,” Kai Abos replies. “The only possibility is to overthrow Putin by the opposition, only then could a new government send Putin to The Hague.”

Byrd Riegert /AP

Edited by: Irini Anastassopoulou

Source: Deutsche Welle

Source: Capital

You may also like

Get the latest

Stay Informed: Get the Latest Updates and Insights

 

Most popular