Greater interest in the international tribunal against the Russians - NRK Urix

A Russian missile recently hit large parts of an apartment building in Dnipro, Ukraine.

Rescuers desperately searched for survivors in the rubble.

At least 46 people died in the attack, and 11 are still missing.

The Russian authorities denied attacking civilian targets. But in Ukraine, the authorities are now collecting information on all civilian targets being bombed.

The purpose is to obtain the necessary information when it becomes possible to hold someone responsible for several war crimes.

That could happen at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands.

requires a court

But the Ukrainian president will go further.

– What is needed is a special international court, says President Volodymyr Zelensky.

He is sure that such a court will be established.

Zelensky says that all those who started this criminal war against Ukraine and against freedom in Europe will be held accountable.

But the problem is that the international tribunals that exist today cannot accuse and judge the political leaders of a country for waging a war of aggression or what is also called a war of aggression.

Therefore, the demand for a private court is getting stronger.

Germany is positive

– We support Ukraine’s desire to create a special court for aggressive criminal acts of Russia with international support, says German Foreign Minister Analina Bierbock..

Berbock said recently during a visit to The Hague that the court will be based on Ukrainian law, as well as international elements.

It also supported changing international laws and regulations, so that the International Criminal Court could start a war of aggression in the future.

In this case, it would not be necessary to create more special courts.

But it is a process that could take many years.

The European Union wants broad support

– Russia must pay for its brutal criminal actions, including its criminal aggression against an independent country.

This is what the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said some time ago. She stressed that the European Union is ready to cooperate with the international community in order to obtain the widest possible international support for the court.

– We propose the establishment of a special court supported by the United Nations to investigate and prosecute Russian criminal aggression, said von der Leyen.

There are many indications that political interest in such an international tribunal is now greater among Western political leaders.

Strong symbolic action

Especially in Europe, there is a strong desire to punish Russian leaders for the war of aggression in Ukraine, international law expert Cecil Helstveit tells NRK.

– You confirm that the establishment of the court will be a very strong symbolic act.

Hellestveit believes this is something Western countries will go to great lengths to achieve. Not least the European countries want to show that it is completely unforgivable that the Russian leaders knowingly and willingly started a war in Europe.

The expert says that these countries will use absolutely every means to try to punish the Russian leaders for this.

Uncertainty about the role of the United Nations

According to Hellestveit, it is usually the UN Security Council that has the power to set up international tribunals against sovereign states.

But now there is talk of the Security Council bypassing agreement on a tribunal against the Russian leaders, to avoid Russia using its veto power over the whole matter.

She says it is an important question whether other countries will also exit the Security Council after that.

According to the expert, perhaps one could say that this will weaken the UN Security Council, at a time when the Security Council has a good number of important functions.

– So there’s a real dilemma here, I guess we could say, Helstveit points out.