EU must insist on accountability for Russia's war crimes – human rights envoy
Establishing peace cannot happen without accountability for those who started the war and committed crimes during it.
The European Union's Special Representative for Human Rights and former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the Netherlands, Kajsa Ollongren, said this in a comment to Ukrinform.
"I see negotiations or so-called negotiations going on. This country, Russia, has committed war crimes. The atrocities that we have seen are incredible. And I understand there has to be a ceasefire to come to a peace. But it can never be without accountability. We cannot forget who started this war, who is responsible for every death, every day in this war," Ollongren said.
She noted that the aggressor state, Russia, has committed war crimes and atrocities that the world has witnessed. She added that the European Union must insist that Russia, led by Putin, be held accountable for all of this.
"That is my message: there will never be peace without accountability," Ollongren said.
She acknowledged that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin may not physically end up in the dock in The Hague, but the fact that he knows this is what the EU and others seek is in itself very important. Ollongren also emphasized the importance of the work of the International Criminal Court and the planned establishment of a special tribunal, including for the crime of aggression.
She also highlighted Russia's abduction of Ukrainian children and the situation of children in occupied territories. Ollongren gave credit to countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which have successfully facilitated the return of children. She added that Europe cannot do so directly because Russia simply does not listen to it. "So it's good that others can do that because every child counts," she said.
"Let us hope that actually those responsible will also be in The Hague at some point. But even if it doesn't happen, it sends a very strong signal to the world that these are people against whom there are arrest warrants. They cannot travel to large parts of the world because they will be arrested. And that signal is important because it's about this war, but it's also a signal to others that these crimes do not go unnoticed and they do not go unpunished. Your crimes have consequences –sanctions, arrest warrants," the politician concluded.
As was earlier reported, Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset announced the signing of an agreement between the Council of Europe, the European Commission, and the European External Action Service to establish a preparatory team for a future Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
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