Deputy Head of the Office of the President Andriy Smyrnov held a meeting of the working group on the creation of a special international tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
People's deputies, representatives of the government and the Prosecutor General's Office took part in the meeting.
Andriy Smyrnov, who is the coordinator of the working group, emphasized that despite the functioning of the mechanisms of the UN Security Council and the International Criminal Court, the creation of a special international tribunal is the only alternative for holding Russia to account for the crime of aggression.
"We are creating a special tribunal as a punishment mechanism for crimes of aggression that has no alternative. There are no other working and effective options. It is not enough to simply admit it, it must be brought to the attention of the whole civilized world. Indeed, we sincerely thank everyone who supported us on this difficult path of reviving international law and responsibility from a century-old coma. But for the sake of a peaceful future, we must punish the hostile and aggressive tumor on the world map. And we must do it as soon as possible. For the sake of peace, security and in the name of all innocent people in Ukraine executed and maimed by the aggressor country," he said.
According to the Deputy Head of the Office of the President, the special international tribunal should become an internationally recognized and maximally legitimate legal instrument, the jurisdiction of which will be recognized by as many countries as possible.
"We call on major democracies, major continental countries, which globally shape security policy in the world, to take the role of leaders in the process of forming a special tribunal," emphasized Andriy Smyrnov.
As noted at the meeting, the political decisions made by the partner countries in support of the creation of an international tribunal should be transformed into practical steps. Thus, in the Netherlands, it is planned to create an Interim Prosecutor's Office so that representatives of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine can start forming the evidence base for the crime of aggression and preparing charges.
As Anton Korynevych, Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, informed the participants of the meeting, the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe, the OSCE and NATO, as well as the parliaments of the partner countries, supported the creation of the tribunal in their resolutions.
Anton Korynevych noted that work is ongoing with representatives of the governments of other states to discuss the creation of a special international tribunal.
Representatives of the Prosecutor General's Office informed about the investigation of proceedings related to crimes of aggression.
The participants of the meeting emphasized the expediency of conducting systematic work with the parliaments of the partner countries to advocate the idea of creating a special tribunal. In addition, it is necessary to intensify the practical dialogue with the professional scientific community, mass media and international lawyers of these states.
The issue of organizing thematic events in the countries of the world with the presentation of a special international tribunal was also considered.