The Advocate General of the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced last Wednesday night the «immediate opening» of an investigation into the situation in Ukraine, where war crimes are allegedly committed, after receiving the green light from 39 member states of the international institution.
«I am notifying the ICC bureau of my decision to immediately begin an investigation into the situation» in Ukraine, the prosecutor general, the British Karim Khan, in a press release issued by his services. «Our work to gather evidence has begun,» he added.
Among the countries that have consented to be surveyed are all EU Member States, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland and Latin American countries such as Colombia and Costa Rica.
According to Mr.Khan, there are «reasonable grounds» - a criterion for the ICC to start an investigation - to consider that crimes within its jurisdiction were committed on the territory of Ukraine.
The investigation concerns all crimes committed in Ukraine «since 21 November 2013», the prosecutor explained.
It will include «all allegations, past and present, of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide by all parties on the territory of Ukraine, by anyone,» he added.
The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, accused the Russian president yesterday Wednesday, Vladimir Putin, that he is «guilty of a war crime» after the bombing of civilians in Ukraine, echoing the Ukrainian president's denunciation, Volodymyr Zelensky.
Mr Khan, who was recently named ICC prosecutor general, promised to conduct the investigation in an «objective and independent manner» and that his aim is to «hold accountable for crimes within the ICC's jurisdiction».
Ukraine is not a member state of the institution, but in 2014 it accepted the jurisdiction of the court.
Moscow has withdrawn its signature from the Rome Statute, the text that established the ICC, which as such can only prosecute Russians arrested on the territory of a state that recognises its jurisdiction.
The ICC is also limited by the fact that it does not have a police force at its disposal, so it depends on the good faith of its member states to arrest suspects present on their territory.
The ICC, established in 2002 and based in The Hague, is an independent international court with jurisdiction to try suspects for genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity.
