Suella’s pledge over war crimes
BRITAIN’S attorney general has dispatched a top war crimes lawyer to help prosecute Russian criminals who slaughtered innocent civilians.
Sir Howard Morrison QC has been hired by Fareham MP, Suella Braverman, to help Ukrainian officials look into atrocities committed by Russian forces.
The legal expert has a previous track record of investigating major war crimes, and has previously sat on the UN’s international criminal tribunal of the former Yugoslavia.
Sir Howard was part of a delegation of war crimes expertsflown to Poland with Mrs Braverman as part of the UK’s support for Ukraine’s investigations.
Mrs Braverman, who ventured across the border into Ukraine to meet her opposite number, Ukrainian prosecutor general, Iryna Venediktova earlier this month, said Britain was committed to help bring Russian criminals ‘to justice’.
Speaking exclusively to The News following her trip to Ukraine, the Tory cabinet minister said: ‘We want to send a very powerful signal to Russia that these soldiers who are carrying out orders on this illfated mission are going to face severe consequences-and justice will bed one .’
The news comes as the first Russian soldier togo on trial for war crimes in Ukraine admitted to murdering an unarmed civilian.
Sergeant Vadim Shishimarin pleaded guilty to fatally shooting a 62-year-old civilian, Oleksandr Shelipov, at the start of Russia’s invasion in the village of Chupakhivka.
He now faces life imprisonment for his crime.
‘This is justice,’ Mrs Braverman said. ‘That man has relatives in Russia. He is not going back to Russia. He will have to tell his family “I’m in a Ukrainian jail for murder and I’m not coming back”. It’s a powerful symbol .’ She added the Ukrainian authorities were already investigating thousands of other suspects.
The attorney general said Britain would continue to do all it could to support Ukrainian prosecutors
‘There’s a huge scale in terms of the investigation in Ukraine,’ she added. ‘They have opened about 11,000 cases,they have got 5,000 suspects and hundreds of Russian soldiers detained as prisoners of war.
‘We very much believe in the wheels of justice and the accountability angle of this conflict. We have a lot of specialism in the English jurisdiction and if there is any way we can support the Ukrainians then I’m very keen to explore that.
‘Unfortunately we’re seeing signs of conflict-related sexual violence with rape being used as a weapon of war, so there needs to be a specialisms in handling the evidence and supporting the victims through that process.
‘There is a huge amount that can be done and we are considering what’s most feasible and effective for the Ukrainian team.’.
Mrs Braverman’s support was welcomed by Ukrainian prosecutor general Iryna Venediktova who said: ’While courts around the world are working to hold Russia accountable, the bulk of the investigation – and the largest number of prosecutions – will be done by Ukraine itself.
‘I am grateful for the UK’s help and to attorney general Braver man for visiting Ukraine to show her personal support for bringing every perpetrator to justice.’