Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia call for creation of special tribunal against Russian leadership: "International order cannot survive if impunity exists."
The foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania issued a joint statement calling on the EU, together with international partners, to help Ukraine establish a special tribunal to try Russia’s top leadership.
The test of the joint statement of the ministers was published on site of The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reports Censor.NЕТ with reference to "European truth".
"The rules-based international order that we all seek to defend cannot survive if there is impunity for the most blatant acts that violate it - genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and crimes of aggression.
The recent deliberate attacks on civilian homes, schools and playgrounds, and civilian infrastructure across Ukraine are only the latest episode of Russia's unprovoked terrorist campaign against the Ukrainian people. As Russia's brutal attacks on Ukraine continue, the EU must act to ensure that the search for justice and accountability for Russia's terrible crimes in Ukraine is at the center of our policy," the ministers wrote.
They call for continued support for Ukraine's investigations by several other states, as well as by the International Criminal Court, "because it plays a key role in gathering evidentiary materials and identifying and punishing those responsible for war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine.
However, they note, this is not enough, because "there is currently no international court or tribunal that can hold Russia's top political and military leadership accountable for committing crimes of aggression against Ukraine."
"To fill this jurisdictional loophole, a Special Tribunal should be created to punish aggression against Ukraine. The EU, together with our partners, should be at the center of this effort," they wrote.
The foreign ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia specify - while the ICS will prosecute individuals for war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity, the main responsibility of the Special Tribunal will be the crime of aggression.
"The key instigators, instigators and mediators of this deadly aggression cannot escape justice only because of a gap in international criminal jurisdiction," they summarized.
