The United Kingdom has joined a group of countries intending to organize an international tribunal against Russia to pursue criminal accountability for its actions in Ukraine, as it wanted to play a key role in these efforts, the Foreign Office said on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th January, 2023) The United Kingdom has joined a group of countries intending to organize an international tribunal against Russia to pursue criminal accountability for its actions in Ukraine, as it wanted to play a key role in these efforts, the Foreign Office said on Friday.
"The UK will play a leading role in a core group of likeminded partners to pursue criminal accountability for Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine... Alongside other international partners invited by Ukraine, the UK will shape thinking on how to ensure criminal accountability for Russia's aggression against Ukraine. This includes assessing the feasibility of a new 'hybrid' tribunal," the statement read.
The government added that the idea behind the "hybrid tribunal" was to integrate a specialized court into Ukraine's national justice system with "international elements."
In late November, the European Commission proposed establishing a special UN-backed tribunal to investigate actions of Russian forces in Ukraine. On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted a resolution backing the tribunal's creation.
Last week, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzia said that he found the idea of a tribunal to investigate Russia for its alleged aggression against Ukraine "ridiculous" and a "waste of time."
Russian officials have repeatedly rejected any allegations of committing war crimes, stating that the military actions of the Ukrainian army in relation to people living in the republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, recently incorporated into Russia, should rather be investigated.
