Universal jurisdiction investigations of war crimes in Ukraine
Universal jurisdiction investigations of war crimes in Ukraine are investigations of
Background
The
By country
As of 11 July 2022[update], Estonia,[6] Germany,[7] Latvia, Lithuania,[8] Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Romania[9] had all declared their intentions of starting universal jurisdiction investigations of war crimes of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[1][10] French prosecutors opened a war crimes investigation under national jurisdiction, for cases in which French citizens or residents were possible victims or suspects.[11] French Minister of Justice Éric Dupond-Moretti promised the ICC the full support of the European Union (EU), and of Eurojust, the EU agency for cooperation against criminals, in particular.[12]
Germany
On 8 March 2022, the
Lithuania
In early March 2022, the Lithuanian Prosecutor General's office opened a "pre-trial investigation on war crimes and crimes against humanity" of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[13] In early April, the Prosecutor General's office stated that it would investigate the death of film-maker Mantas Kvedaravičius, who was killed during an attack by Russian forces near Mariupol while it was under siege, as part of the overall investigation.[3]
Spain
On 8 March 2022, the Spanish Prosecution Ministry open universal jurisdiction investigations both for the crime of aggression by the Russian Federation and for "serious violations of international humanitarian law".[4]
Sweden
On 5 April 2022, the Swedish Prosecution Authority (SPA) stated that it had opened preliminary investigations into what appeared to be "grave war crimes" being committed in Ukraine. Initial aims of the investigation included the securing of evidence in Sweden that could be later used in legal proceedings in Sweden, another country exercising universal jurisdiction, or the ICC investigation. The SPA called for survivors and witnesses to get into contact.[5][14]
See also
- Legality of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
References
- ^ The Fletcher School at Tufts University. Archivedfrom the original on 2022-04-05. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
- ^ a b Pancevski, Bojan (2022-03-08). "Germany Opens Investigation Into Suspected Russian War Crimes in Ukraine". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2022-04-05. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
- ^ a b "Lithuanian prosecutors to probe filmmaker's killing in Ukraine as war crime". Lithuanian National Radio and Television. 2022-04-05. Archived from the original on 2022-04-05. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
- ^ a b "Spain opens probe into 'serious violations' by Russia in Ukraine". The Local – Spain. 2022-03-08. Archived from the original on 2022-03-27. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
- ^ a b "Sweden launches investigation into Ukraine war crimes". The Local – Sweden. 2022-04-05. Archived from the original on 2022-04-05. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
- ^ "Estonia's Internal Security Service also investigating war crimes committed in Ukraine". The Baltic Times. 2022-03-30.
- ^ "Germany launches probe into suspected war crimes in Ukraine: Germany's justice minister says the country's federal prosecution office has opened an investigation to collect evidence of war crimes in Ukraine". Al Jazeera. 8 Mar 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ "The Ministry of Justice asks the Prosecutor General's Office to launch a pre-trial investigation against Putin and Lukashenko". Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Lithuania. March 15, 2022.
- ^ "Romania to investigate Russian crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine". Telewizja Polska. 2022-07-11.
- ^ "How Would Those Accused of Ukraine War Crimes Be Prosecuted?". PBS. 2022-03-25. Archived from the original on 2022-04-07. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
- ^ "French Prosecutors Open War-Crimes Probe in Ukraine". The Wall Street Journal. 2022-04-05. Archived from the original on 2022-04-07. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
- ^ Stéphanie Maupas (March 18, 2022). "War crimes in Ukraine: The hunt for evidence is on: Ukraine, Western countries and NGOs are building a case to prosecute Russia before the International Criminal Court". Le Monde.
- ^ "Lithuania opens probe into crimes against humanity in Ukraine attacked by Russia". LRT. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
- ^ "Åklagare i Sverige utreder krigsbrott i Ukraina" [Prosecutors in Sweden are investigating war crimes in Ukraine] (in Swedish). SVT. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.