Ukraine. US supports ICC, Ukrainians in war crimes investigation

“NWe are not waiting for the end of hostilities to move forward with justice and accountability. We are working with our international partners to gather evidence and build cases so we are ready when the time comes to hold perpetrators accountable,” he said during a speech at the Association of American Lawyers in Denver.

Garland has appointed a prosecutor for the center which opened in July in The Hague to support the building of cases against top Russian leaders for the crime of aggression.

The International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression will not press charges or issue arrest warrants, but will support investigations that are already under way in Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

The Department of Justice is providing extensive assistance to Ukraine, from training in prosecution for environmental crimes to developing a secure electronic case management system for more than 90,000 atrocity crimes.

At the time, Garland encouraged more lawyers to volunteer to help Ukrainian victims.

He recalled his own family, in this case his grandmother, and his wife’s family, who had to flee Europe as refugees to the US to escape the Holocaust.

Other family members, however, were murdered by the Nazis.

“We don’t know if those involved in their deaths have been held accountable. [Mas] the families of victims of current atrocities in Ukraine deserve to know what happened to their loved ones. They deserve justice,” said Garland.

The military offensive launched on February 24, 2022 by Russia in Ukraine caused, according to the latest UN data, the worst refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War (1939-1945).

The Russian invasion – justified by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by the international community in general, which has responded by sending arms to Ukraine and imposing Russia from political and economic sanctions.

Also Read: Russia Adds Another ICC Judge to the Wanted List