ICC deploys 'largest-ever' investigating team to probe alleged war crimes in Ukraine

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has sent a 42-member war crime investigating team to Ukraine which is also the largest such deployment in its history to look into the possible war crimes committed during the Russia-Ukraine war. ICC Prosecutor Karim AA Khan confirmed on Monday that his office has deployed the team which includes investigators, forensic experts and support personnel to Ukraine to advance the probe into the crimes that fall into ICC’s jurisdiction and provide support to Ukrainian national authorities. 

Khan said, “This represents the largest ever single field deployment by my Office since its establishment.”

ICC Prosecutor noted that the deployment of the team “will significantly enhance the impact of our forensic and investigative actions on the ground. In real terms, it will allow us to collect more testimonial accounts, support the identification of relevant forensic and digital materials and ensure that information and evidence is collected in a manner that strengthens its admissibility in future proceedings before the ICC.”

It is to note here that just shortly after Russia announced the “special” military operation in Ukraine on February 24, Khan had announced the opening of an investigation into possible war crimes in the war-torn country. In a statement, he also said that the 42-member investigative team would ensure that “evidence is collected in a manner that strengthens its admissibility in future proceedings'' at the court based in the administrative capital of the Netherlands.

The team would collect the witness testimonies “relevant to military attacks”. They would follow the leads and also work with Ukrainian authorities to “strengthen the chain of custody with respect to hard evidence”. 

Ukraine said it has ‘sufficient evidence’ to prove Russian war crimes at ICC

Khan’s announcement came after Ukraine's Justice Minister Denys Malyuska expressed that the country has ‘sufficient evidence' of Russian war crimes including genocide. According to him, Ukrainian courts and international bodies can sentence Russian leadership and its military, stated Radio Liberty. Among these international bodies were the ICC, a tribunal recently established by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and other courts. 

The Ukrainian Justice Minister had said, “If the Ukrainian court passes a verdict, Interpol will be the tool to find such people. If these are the verdicts that will be handed down by the ICC, then this will be an even more interesting story, because most countries support its jurisdiction. And most countries in the world will not even pay attention to diplomatic protection if Vladimir Putin or his entourage fall into the territory of a country that recognizes the jurisdiction of the ICC.”

Image: AP