A group of 44 countries supports the establishment of a special tribunal in The Hague for crimes committed by Russia against Ukraine

A group of 44 countries spoke in The Hague in favor of creating a special tribunal to try the crimes committed by Russia against Ukraine, a joint statement in this regard was adopted at the conference “Restoring Justice for Ukraine”, reports Ukrinform.

“We strongly condemn all international crimes committed by the Russian Federation against Ukraine; these acts, including the attempted illegal annexation of regions of Ukraine, are flagrant violations of the UN Charter, are a violation of international law involving the state responsibility of the Russian Federation, threaten international peace and security, call into question respect for order based on rules and undermines democratic values,” reads the statement published on the legal portal of the Dutch government, which hosted the conference.

The signatory countries emphasized the need for joint efforts to ensure a proper investigation of the crimes committed in the war against Ukraine and that Russia bear responsibility for all violations of international law.

The 44 signatory countries are: Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom and the USA.

Ukraine welcomes the declaration adopted in The Hague

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said after the adoption of the declaration that while at the beginning of Russia’s large-scale invasion the idea of ​​establishing an international tribunal to try its crimes against Ukraine was viewed with skepticism, now it is supported by many countries, illustrated by the declaration adopted after the conference organized in The Hague.

“I am grateful to all those countries that recognize the importance of getting results on this matter. I am convinced that, working together, we will be able to find all the necessary solutions to make the court a reality. We need one more leap forward to complete this work,” said Kuleba, quoted by Ukraîinska Pravda.

Before the conference, Kuleba had noted that the issue of establishing a special tribunal to try Russian crimes was the only one where no practical progress had been made due to disputes over how it should be organised.

The Netherlands has said as far back as December 2022 that it would be willing to host such a court, and several states, including the United States and Romania, have previously spoken in favor of the idea but it has not really moved forward, as he recalled and the head of Ukrainian diplomacy.

Such special tribunals were established after World War II to try crimes committed by Germany and Japan, but also after the wars in Yugoslavia.

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