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European nations convened in the Netherlands on Thursday to coordinate ongoing efforts to punish Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
Several European countries have opened investigations into Russia’s ongoing invasion, and Ukraine itself has opened more than 15,000 probes into alleged war crime incidents.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has already opened an investigation into Russia, and its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, is calling for an “overarching strategy” among nations looking to hold Russia accountable.
“The simple truth is that, as we speak, children, women and men, the young and the old, are living in terror,” Khan said in opening remarks at the Ukraine Accountability Conference in The Hague.
Bodies lie in a mass grave in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, April 3, 2022. Ukrainian troops are finding brutalized bodies and widespread destruction in the suburbs of Kyiv, sparking new calls for a war crimes investigation and sanctions against Russia.
(AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Russian army Sergeant Vadim Shishimarin, 21, is seen behind a glass during a court hearing in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, May 13, 2022. The trial of a Russian soldier accused of killing a Ukrainian civilian opened Friday, the first war crimes trial since Moscow’s invasion of its neighbor. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
“They’re suffering in Ukraine and in so many different parts of the world,” Khan said. “Grieving about what they lost yesterday, holding their breath about what they could lose today, and what tomorrow can bring. At a time like this, the law cannot be a spectator.”
The U.S. has condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin as a war criminal, accusing him of ordering the murder and torture of Uranian civilians.
UKRAINE WAR CRIMES TRIALS: RUSSIAN SOLDIERS LEARN THEIR PUNISHMENTS
While the U.S. is not directly involved in war crimes investigations, it has landed support to ongoing probes elsewhere. The ICC is working in a Join Investigation Team alongside Ukrainian, Polish and Lithuanian prosecutors. The European Union’s legal branch, Eurojust, is also participating in the effort.
The U.S. State Department sent human rights envoy Uzra Zeya as a representative to Thursday’s conference at The Hague.
“With each day, the war crimes mount. Rape, torture, extrajudicial executions, disappearances, forced deportations. Attacks on schools, hospitals, playgrounds, apartment buildings, grain silos, water and gas facilities,” Zeya said. “These are not the acts of rogue units — they fit a clear pattern across every part of Ukraine touched by Russia’s forces.”
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It is unclear what actions the ICC could take against Russia following the investigations, however. Russia is a sovereign nation and is not a member of the ICC. Any consequences for the regime may take the form of further economic sanctions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
