The International Center for the Investigation of Crimes of Aggression against Ukraine should start working in The Hague by the beginning of summer, and the creation of its main structures will be completed within two months.
This was announced by the representative of the European Commission, Christian Wiegand, DW reports.
This center will store and analyze evidence for future trials, both nationally and internationally.
The center will unite prosecutors to prepare future cases for the prosecution of the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
The European Commission emphasized that the evidence of the crime of aggression will be stored centrally in a safe place.
As reported, with the support of Eurojust, a Joint Investigative Group was established to collect evidence and investigate major international crimes committed in Ukraine. The Joint Investigation Team includes the International Criminal Court, Ukraine, as well as Lithuania, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Romania and Estonia.
The Eurojust Regulation was amended to give the Agency the legal ability to securely store and analyze evidence related to major international crimes. The judicial database was launched in February 2023.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is empowered to prosecute the most serious international crimes, such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. It is also authorized to prosecute the crime of aggression, but only with respect to those countries that have recognized its jurisdiction over that crime. The crime of aggression is a crime committed by the highest political and military leadership.
Given that Russia does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC, therefore, the ICC cannot exercise this competence in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine. To fill this gap, in November 2022 the European Commission gave member states various options to ensure that Russians are held accountable for atrocities committed in Ukraine.
As reported, Ukraine, together with its allies and partners, has developed three models for the establishment and operation of a special tribunal regarding the crime of Russian aggression.
One of the models is the creation of a special tribunal based on Ukraine's agreement with the UN with the adoption of a corresponding resolution of the UN General Assembly.