The NATO Parliamentary Assembly has adopted a resolution calling for the creation of a special International tribunal for Russia’s aggression and they have recognised it as a terrorist state.
The US state department’s ambassador for global criminal justice, Beth Van Schaack said that there is growing evidence that Russian troops are guilty of “deliberate, indiscriminate and disproportionate” attacks on civilians in Ukraine.
She said that there is evidence of “systemic war crimes committed in every region where Russian forces have been deployed.”
She said that there has been horrific scenes witnessed in liberated areas of Ukraine involving prisoners of war, murders, executions, sexual violence and the forced removal of Ukrainian citizens to Russia.
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She said, “When we’re seeing such systemic acts, including the creation of a vast filtration network, it’s very hard to imagine how these crimes could be committed without responsibility going all the way up the chain of command.”
She added that prosecutors will “follow the evidence” of war crimes to wherever “it leads” to bring those to justice.
The Ukrainian Parliament, Chairman of the Permanent Delegation of Ukraine to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, MP Yehor Chernev said, “All 30 NATO countries supported the proposals of our delegation.
“Such a tribunal will allow to convict not only the direct perpetrators of war crimes, but also the top leadership of the Russian Federation.”
Chernev added that the resolution takes into account other wishes of the Ukrainian delegation, in particular, an increase in the supply of weapons to Ukraine; the development of concrete steps for Ukraine’s accession to NATO.
He pointed out that the delegates also emphasised that the Ukrainian army would definitely strengthen NATO, and therefore Ukraine’s membership is desirable and important for the Alliance itself.
Chernev insisted, “The adoption of this resolution is an important political step, reflecting the mood in Western parliamentary circles, and therefore influencing the leadership of the countries in decision–making.
“I am also very pleased with the fact that the Ukrainian position, such as the creation of a tribunal, the payment of reparations or the recognition of Russia as a terrorist state, is gradually becoming mainstream on the highest international platforms.”
