More than 50 former world leaders have signed a proposal to create an international tribunal to try Vladimir Putin and those accountable for the war in Ukraine for the crime of aggression, campaign organisers said today as evidence emerged of murders of civilians under Russian occupation. 

The Justice for Ukraine campaign is calling for an ad-hoc tribunal to fill gaps in the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which Russia left in 2016. A trial, similar to the Nuremberg proceedings, would act in addition to the current investigations into war crimes by the ICC.

Among the backers are former prime ministers Gordon Brown and John Major. They are joined by former heads of government across Europe and the Americas along with some Asian and African countries. Almost 1.5 million people from around the globe have signed a petition calling for the creation of the tribunal.

Foreign Office minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon told parliament yesterday that the government was focusing on bringing potential cases to the ICC and was not looking at the creation of a bespoke tribunal for Ukraine.

The UK’s representative to a special meeting of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe said of the revelations of killings in Bucha and Irpin: 'The  perpetrators of these appalling acts must be held to account. Deliberate killings of civilians during Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine must be investigated as war crimes. We will not rest until those responsible for atrocities, including military commanders and individuals in the Russian Government have faced justice.’

Meanwhile the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Insittute yesterday welcomed what it said was the UN Human Rights Council’s 'swift response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine'. This includes an independent international commission of inquiry mandated to investigate all alleged violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law. It will also collect, consolidate and analyse evidence in order to maximise the possibility of its admissibility in any future legal proceedings.

 

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