Zelensky could also be investigated for war crimes, says professor

Although Russian President Vladimir Putin is in evidence – since he was the one who promoted the invasion of Ukraine – to answer about possible war crimes, the professor of international and comparative law at USP (University of São Paulo), Maristela Basso, said that the Ukrainian representative, Volodymyr Zelensky, should also be targeted by international criminal courts.

In an interview with CNN Radio, she explained that from the moment there is a war going on, new rules of international law come into effect. “Although it does not prohibit the call to the population, it is discouraged.”

“Inciting the people to fight the enemy when the army is not enough or is losing, this call is suicide, since this population does not know how to use equipment or handle Molotov cocktails, or anything like that”, he defended.

According to Maristela, this puts people in a situation of greater risk than if they were on the run or in search of hiding places. “When you have a false sense of protection, when you should go to a safe place, in the words of the head of government, it is very risky”, he added.

In this way, “probably Zelensky will be investigated, it will be a two-way international criminal court, it will investigate Putin and also Zelensky.”

The specialist also reinforced that the meeting between Russian and Ukrainian representatives in search of agreements, held last Thursday (3), was relevant. “Conversations are always important, they are fundamental to move forward in the search for any peace process, even if it takes time, it is not easy to enter a war, but it is also not easy to get out of it.”

For Maristela Basso, “international law has failed, as it has not been able to prevent an armed conflict.”