April 3, 2022, has seen reports of egregious crimes being perpetrated in Irpin and Bucha, Ukraine. Among others, media outlets reported on images of Ukrainian civilians lying dead on the streets of Bucha. Anatoliy Fedoruk, the mayor of Bucha, reported close to 300 killed. Fifty-seven people are said to be buried in a mass grave in Bucha. Dr Wladimir Klitschko, former boxing champion and brother of Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko, posted a video from Bucha stating that civilians “had been shot in the head with their hands tied behind their back. This is genocide of the Ukrainian population.” The video featured bodies lying on the street. These news come to light after Ukrainian forces retook the town of Bucha from Russian troops. While the Russian defense ministry denies that Russian forces killed civilians in Bucha, the reports have been verified by media outlets. Among others, Sky News has verified two videos showing bodies on the streets of Bucha.
A photo shows damages from conflict areas in the Hostomel region, as Russian attacks on Ukraine … [+]
The international community responded to the news calling for justice and accountability. The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that, “It is essential that an independent investigation leads to effective accountability.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken commented: “Since the aggression, we’ve come out and said that we believe that Russian forces have committed war crimes, and we’ve been working to document that, to provide the information we have to the relevant instructions and organizations that will put all of this together. And there needs to be accountability for it.”
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss condemned the acts as war crimes. As she remarked, “[the] indiscriminate attacks against innocent civilians during Russia’s illegal and unjustified invasion of Ukraine must be investigated as war crimes. We will not allow Russia to cover up their involvement in these atrocities through cynical disinformation and will ensure that the reality of Russia’s actions are brought to light.” Foreign Secretary Truss further added that the U.K. would support any investigations by the International Criminal Court. The U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson responded: “I will do everything in my power to starve Putin’s war machine. We are stepping up our sanctions and military support, as well as bolstering our humanitarian support package to help those in need on the ground.”
Putin’s atrocities in Ukraine are subject to several domestic and international inquiries. Among others, the situation in Ukraine is subject to an investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC), after it was opened on March 2, 2022, following referrals from 39 State Parties. The number of referrals currently stands at 41. The Office of the Prosecutor to the ICC has established a dedicated portal through which any person that may hold information relevant to the Ukraine situation can contact ICC investigators.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is considering the situation in Ukraine after on February 26, 2022, Ukraine filed an application instituting proceedings against the Russian Federation before the ICJ. On March 16, 2022, the ICJ ordered Russia to immediately suspend the military operations, among others. Russia failed to follow the order and continues the attack on Ukraine.
On March 4, 2022, legal experts from all over the world issued a joint statement calling for the creation of a special tribunal for the punishment of the crime of aggressions against Ukraine.
On March 8, 2022, the German Federal Public Prosecutor General has opened an investigation to collect evidence of war crimes in Ukraine. Some of the perpetrators could be tried in German courts as this has been done in a number of other cases, based on the principle of universal jurisdiction.
While steps are being taken to ensure some justice and accountability in the future, more news of egregious crimes come to light on a daily basis. The prospect of some justice in the future does not give much hope as civilians and civilian objects are being targeted, and civilians, including children, are being killed. However, the plethora of legal steps taken by the Ukrainian government in response to Putin’s war shows that justice and accountability are important for Ukraine even now as Ukraine fights for survival. The international community must assist this important work and ensure that Putin does not get away with his crimes in Ukraine.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ewelinaochab/2022/04/03/more-evidence-of-putins-war-crimes-in-irpin-and-bucha-ukraine/