Since the start of the war, the Ukrainian judiciary has opened more than 71,000 cases of alleged war crimes, according to Myroslava Krasnoborova, Ukrainian Liaison Prosecutor at Eurojust, who was attending a Eurojust press briefing in The Hague to take stock of actions taken in recent months to bring those responsible for international crimes to justice.
Regarding the crime of aggression, which could punish those most responsible for the war, the President of Eurojust, Ladislav Harman, recalled that his agency would soon host the “International Coordination Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression (ICPA)” (see EUROPE 13109/2, 13109/1). This should be in place by the summer, according to Eurojust Vice-President Margarita Šniutytė-Daugėlienė. EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders said on 17 February that the ICPA should be operational “from July” (see EUROPE 13124/12).
The ICPA will support the investigations with the storage of evidence and coordination of work, but will not collect the evidence itself, Ladislav Hamran highlighted.
“Ukraine welcomes the decision to establish the ICPA at Eurojust and hopes that this will accelerate discussions on the possible prosecution of the crime of aggression,” said Krasnoborova.
Ladislav Hamran stressed that strong international support is crucial to effectively prosecute the perpetrators of the crime of aggression. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)