Eurojust, the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, will shortly begin the creation of a center for investigation into "the crime of aggression in Ukraine," Eurojust spokesman Ton van Lierop told RIA Novosti on Thursday
PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd February, 2023) Eurojust, the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, will shortly begin the creation of a center for investigation into "the crime of aggression in Ukraine," Eurojust spokesman Ton van Lierop told RIA Novosti on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the establishment of "an international center for the prosecution of the crime of aggression in Ukraine" at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kiev.
Van Lierop said that Eurojust welcomed the commission's intention to establish "the International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression (ICPA)" in The Hague, adding that this center would become part of the existing structure supporting the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), established in March 2022, on alleged major international crimes committed in Ukraine. He stressed that Eurojust intended to start the creation of the center soon, and all stakeholders would be regularly informed about the progress of its work.
He also said that the center would allow harmonizing existing investigations into other major international crimes with the investigation into the Ukraine conflict.
In late November, the European Commission proposed creating a special international court for the Ukraine conflict under the aegis of the UN. Russian officials have repeatedly rejected Moscow's involvement in war crimes, stating that the creation of such a court would be illegitimate and would have no jurisdiction over the country.
