Russia-Ukraine war: UK to offer 'support' for probe on 'Russian war crimes'
London (UK), March 13: UK Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab will visit the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on Monday in order to offer "practical support" from the UK for investigating alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
Raab is scheduled to meet Karim AA Khan QC, the ICC Prosecutor, its Registrar, Peter Lewis and President of the Court, Judge Piotr Hofmanski.
Issuing a statement over the matter, the UK Ministry of Justice said that Raab will emphasise UK support for the Court and respect for its independence.
Dominic Raab, who is also the country's Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice stated, "Tomorrow I will go to The Hague to offer the ICC UK technical support in bringing those responsible for war crimes in Ukraine to justice - including support with the immediate priority of gathering and preserving evidence."
"Russian commanders carrying out war crimes should know they cannot act with impunity. Like Radovan Karadzic and Charles Taylor before them, their actions risk landing them in a jail cell," he added.
Also Read | UN urges Russia, Ukraine to end war through dialogue, diplomacy
Furthermore, Dominic Raab will meet the ambassadors from a wide range of countries in order to form a coalition capable of assisting and cooperating with the Office of the Prosecutor in the investigation of war crimes in Ukraine.
The visit comes after a virtual meeting with Ukraine's Prosecutor General, Iryna Venediktova and Attorney General, Suella Braverman, last week to examine what assistance the country requires in collecting and preserving evidence of war crimes.
This is the latest in a series of efforts to assist Ukraine with lethal aid as well as economic, diplomatic, humanitarian and defensive support. The British government is also looking at how to prevent Russian oligarchs from using the legal system in the UK to intimidate and suppress their critics.
Meanwhile, Suella Braverman, the UK Attorney General, signed a statement with Ukraine's Prosecutor General last week reaffirming the UK's support for holding Russia accountable for war crimes committed in Ukraine.
On February 24, Russia initiated a "military operation" in Ukraine, claiming it was in response to calls for protection from Ukrainian troops by the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk.
The special operation is only targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, and the civilian population is not in danger.
Also Read | Humanitarian situation in Ukraine deteriorating at alarming pace, says UN agency
-PTC News
