Ukrainian Ambassador to Netherlands: ICC issues six arrest warrants for leadership of aggressor state
Ukraine's Ambassador to the Netherlands Andriy Kostin said that it was a great honor for him to represent Ukraine for the first time at the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and stressed that international crimes must be punished.
He said this in a comment to an Ukrinform correspondent in The Hague.
"It is a great honor to represent Ukraine as a full member of the Rome Statute, which unites countries that understand that international crimes must be punished wherever they are committed. And this is a completely logical step for our state, which has already cooperated for years with the International Criminal Court [ICC]. Thanks to this cooperation we already have six arrest warrants regarding representatives of the highest political and military leadership of the aggressor state [Russia]," he said.
"It is very important that we now feel support from other countries. And it was very pleasant for me to hear greetings in the speeches of colleagues from other states addressed to Ukraine, which is now a full and equal member. This also gives us the opportunity to take direct part in making decisions concerning the further activities of the International Criminal Court," he stated.
According to Kostin, "The International Criminal Court is now in a difficult situation: there are sanctions against judges and prosecutors, and certain internal investigations are ongoing. And, without a doubt, uniting efforts to protect the independence and capacity of the International Criminal Court is extremely important so that the whole world understands that the institution is functioning and remains effective. Secondly, this is a very important signal for victims of international crimes, both in Ukraine and in other countries of the world, that in addition to national systems of investigation and prosecution, there is an international independent institution capable of holding accountable not only those who directly commit international crimes but also those who issue criminal orders. The effectiveness of this institution is also key for preventing the spread of international crimes in the future. After all, any instrument or mechanism of accountability always has a preventive role."
He also drew attention to cases in which certain States Parties had not fulfilled their obligations regarding the arrest of wanted individuals, and emphasized the importance of Assembly resolutions confirming the independence of the Court and the binding nature of its warrants.
"We discussed the need for strict compliance with arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court. There have already been cases when countries, parties to the Rome Statute, did not fulfill their obligations regarding the arrest of persons wanted by the ICC. The institution must work effectively and independently," Kostin stressed.
He also noted that Ukraine had organized a number of events and taken part in many thematic discussions held on the sidelines of the Assembly.
"There are always many events held on the sidelines of the Assembly, and Ukraine organized several of them. We also joined events organized by the Netherlands, South Korea, Canada, France, and non-governmental organizations. This is an additional opportunity to convey our position that we cannot allow impunity, either for the crimes that Russia commits against Ukraine and Ukrainians, or for any other international crimes that, unfortunately, are committed in other parts of the world," he said.
He reported that the events discussed, among other things, support for victims of war crimes: "Ukraine has done a great deal on this path. After all, working with victims of international crimes is a difficult but necessary task not only for the law enforcement system but also for the entire society, which is experiencing deep trauma given the scale and diversity of the international crimes committed by Russia."
As Ukrinform reported, Ukraine at the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute called for strengthening international efforts to bring Russia to justice.
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