EU Commission wants tribunal for Russia’s aggression of Ukraine

BRUSSELS: The European Commission on Wednesday laid out the basis to set up a special court to investigate and prosecute Russia for crimes of aggression against Ukraine. The EU executive arm also outlined how Russian assets - frozen from Western sanctions - can be used as a possible source of funding to rebuild Ukraine. “Russia’s horrific crimes will not go unpunished,” Ursula von der Leyen, president of the commission, said in a video on Twitter to announce the move, recalling alleged atrocities discovered in the Kiev suburb of Bucha. While backing the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigations of Russia for war crimes, among other things, the commission wants to set up an alternative means of investigating Russian crimes of aggression. This is due to the ICC’s lack of competence to prosecute the offence as Russia does not recognise the court’s jurisdiction in this legal area, an options paper sent to EU member states said. Instead, the commission wants to set up an international tribunal on the basis of a multinational treaty. Another option would be to establish a so-called hybrid tribunal based on Ukraine’s national laws and integrated into international procedures with international judges involved to investigate crimes of aggression. Both possibilities for a tribunal to prosecute Russia for crimes of aggression would need require backing from the United Nations, the commission said.