On July 14, 2022, The Hague will host an international conference on bringing to justice for crimes committed during the Russian aggression in Ukraine. The conference is jointly organized by the Government of the Netherlands, British citizen Karim A.A. Khan (Karim Asad Ahmad Khan) - Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (International Criminal Court), often referred to as the Hague Tribunal, and European Commissioner Didier Reynders (Didier Reynders) from Belgium.
The task of the Hague Tribunal is to bring to justice those who have committed crimes of aggression, genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The conference plans to create conditions for all those who committed crimes under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) during the Russian invasion of Ukraine to be held accountable.
Dutch Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Wopke Bastiaan Hoekstra said the international community has already taken important first steps to bring international criminals who committed crimes in Ukraine to justice. Now is the time to join forces for a fair trial, because it is critically important for the victims and the families of the victims. Therefore, the Netherlands took the initiative to organize an international conference that will coordinate actions to collect evidence, document crimes, investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice.
The conference will allow all interested countries and parties to develop a collective action plan that will not allow criminals to escape responsibility. In particular, the possibility of cooperation and division of duties in conducting forensic medical examinations in Ukraine under the auspices of the Prosecutor's Office of the International Criminal Court is being studied.
During the conference, the ICC and Eurojust will present recommendations on the collection and storage of evidence, on strengthening cooperation with non-governmental organizations. It is critical to ensure that evidence of Russian crimes in Ukraine is collected and documented in a way that can be used in court. Particular attention will be paid to collecting evidence of sexual crimes committed by Russian aggressors in Ukraine.
It is assumed that the results of the July 14 conference will be used in the future to improve the coordination of the actions of the international community in the investigation of crimes under the jurisdiction of the ICC - not only during the Russian-Ukrainian war, but also in other circumstances.
The Government of the Netherlands attaches great importance to establishing truth and justice for the relatives of the victims of the war in Ukraine. For this reason, the kingdom supports various efforts to bring criminals to justice. In particular, financial sanctions, the ICC investigation and the mandate of the UN Commission to Investigate Crimes Committed in Ukraine are supported. A team of forensic experts from the Netherlands, under the auspices of the International Criminal Court, has already conducted investigations in and around Kyiv to gather evidence of international crimes committed by Russians in Ukraine.
Get more information about the war in Ukraine, the crimes committed in its course and about the assistance of the Netherlands to the Ukrainian government and refugees from this country on our website.
Publication Date: 20.06.2022
