The Federal Prosecutor is examining possible war crimes committed by Russians in Ukraine, by Russians, according to the German Ministry of Justice.
Crimes against humanity can also be tried before German courts, regardless of where they are committed and regardless of the nationality of the perpetrators or victims. This is provided for in the principle of universal jurisdiction, according to which the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office seeks to initiate proceedings to condemn the crimes that appear to be committed by the Russian army in Ukraine.
In an interview on the sidelines of the Liberal Party (FDP) party congress in Berlin, German Justice Minister Marco Bushmann told the Phoenix television network that Federal Prosecutor Peter Frank had ordered a criminal investigation into the crime. Russian army in war-torn Ukraine, already receiving testimonies from Ukrainian refugees arriving in Germany who have been eyewitnesses of atrocities.
On the way to the “Koblenz trial”
“The initial process of securing evidence and investigating ‘who committed what crimes and where’ has already begun,” said Marco Bushman. Critical documents, such as videos and photos from disputed areas, have come to the attention of the Prosecutor’s Office.
The Minister of Justice even appealed to Ukrainian refugees, who were either victims themselves or were found guilty of crimes committed by Russian soldiers, to address the German authorities. “It is important that we gather as much information as possible, as soon as possible. Then identify the perpetrators and, if we catch them, bring them to justice in Germany,” he said.
According to the German Justice Ministry, the whole process is based on the important case law of the so-called “Koblenz trial”, where a colonel of the Assad regime’s secret services in Syria was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Koblets Court of Appeal in western Germany. He was found guilty of killing 30 people and torturing another 4,000 Syrians.
Dimitra Kyranoudi, Berlin
Source: Deutsche Welle
Source: Capital
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