SMS information on war crimes for displaced persons in Austria
The justice and interior ministries are now informing people from Ukraine seeking protection via SMS about investigations into war crimes.
“We are thus making a single contribution to the investigation of war crimes,” Justice Minister Alma Zadic (Greens) told APA today. “War crimes and crimes against humanity must be prosecuted,” said Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP).
There have been shocking reports of war crimes in Ukraine for weeks, Zadic said. The International Criminal Court in The Hague therefore recently began investigations.
Zadic: Actions must be “extensively investigated”.
“These inhuman acts must be comprehensively investigated and the perpetrators held accountable,” said the Minister of Justice. “This measure is an important contribution to international criminal justice and the rule of law in Europe,” said Karner.
Since the beginning of the war of aggression, anyone entering Austria with a Ukrainian mobile phone has received basic information via SMS, which also includes the emergency number for the police, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
Ministry sends experts to The Hague
On March 2, 2022, Austria, along with 40 other countries, submitted evidence of the situation in Ukraine to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, whereupon chief prosecutor Karim Khan began investigations on the same day.
The Ministry of Justice is also sending an additional expert to The Hague to investigate war crimes that began in Ukraine. In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs made 100,000 euros available to the Office of the ICC Prosecutor.