Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday signed an agreement with the Council of Europe to establish a special tribunal to address the "crime of aggression" related to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The accord, signed with Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset in Strasbourg, sets out plans to create a legal body tasked with examining the responsibility of senior Russian officials for launching the war.
Speaking after the signing in Strasbourg with Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset, Zelenskyy said: “Aggression must lead to punishment. We must make it happen together, all of Europe.”
He called the agreement a “real chance to bring justice” and stressed the need for accountability at the highest level.
“Every war criminal must know there will be justice, and that includes Russia,” added the Ukrainian President.
The proposed tribunal, the first of its kind created under the Council of Europe, is intended to fill a legal gap left by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which does not have jurisdiction to try the crime of aggression. While the ICC has issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and several senior commanders, it cannot prosecute decisions to launch war.
Berset said the next step would be to expand the agreement to include more countries and secure broad international backing. The court’s location has yet to be determined, but it could begin work in 2026.
Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe in 2022 following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The 46-member body includes non-EU states such as Türkiye, the UK, and Ukraine.
Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight killed at least two people and injured 15 others, including two children, Ukrainian authorities said.&nbs...
Saudi Aramco has ordered staff to evacuate its headquarters amid escalating Houthi attacks on the kingdom. Two people were killed in an attack on D...
Nigeria's first Ebola case in more than a decade may be linked to travel in Uganda, Swiss authorities said on Thursday, although the source of ...
Russia is willing in principle to resume peace talks with Ukraine and the United States in November, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said after President Vladimir Putin met U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg.
Saudi Aramco has ordered staff to evacuate its headquarters amid escalating Houthi attacks on the kingdom. Two people were killed in an attack on Dammam airport, while Iran's IRGC Navy claimed strikes on seven vessels and warned the U.S. of a wider response.
Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight killed at least two people and injured 15 others, including two children, Ukrainian authorities said. Meanwhile, Russia said it had intercepted the vast majority of 630 Ukrainian drones launched towards Moscow.
Yemen's Houthis have denied targeting the holy city of Medina on Wednesday adding that they have not conducted any military operations towards Saudi Arabia either, denying earlier comments from the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
Georgia’s Constitutional Court in Batumi will on Wednesday hear a lawsuit seeking to ban five Georgian opposition parties, four of which collectively gained 784,820 votes (37.79 per cent) in the country’s last national elections in 2024.
Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight killed at least two people and injured 15 others, including two children, Ukrainian authorities said. Meanwhile, Russia said it had intercepted the vast majority of 630 Ukrainian drones launched towards Moscow.
Nigeria's first Ebola case in more than a decade may be linked to travel in Uganda, Swiss authorities said on Thursday, although the source of infection remains unclear. Uganda maintains it has no cases of the disease.
Super typhoon Champi is set to batter Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture from Friday (23 October), bringing violent winds, torrential rain and waves up to 11 metres high, as airlines cancel flights and organisers scrap a major festival.
Two women from Austria and Switzerland have been freed after lengthy periods in captivity in Niger, following extensive diplomatic efforts to secure their release amid growing concerns over kidnappings in the Sahel region.
France has reported its first known human case of Shamonda virus following the death of an infected patient, authorities said on Thursday (22 October). The virus, typically found in livestock, is believed to have been transmitted by a biting midge.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment