The Netherlands wants to house a special Ukraine tribunal
AP
NOS News•
The Netherlands will be the host of a special tribunal to give rights to those responsible for the Russian war against Ukraine. If there is a need for such an “aggression tribunal”, it can be established in The Hague, Minister Hoekstra says.
accompanying, he responds to a call from D66 that was supported by a majority of the House of Representatives in October.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is already located in The Hague, which must act against war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and aggression against another country. But the latter crime, which could include, for example, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, is often prosecuted. Admittedly Russia the ICC does not.
Legal hole
involvement there is a legal loophole, while aggression is a very serious international crime. It is important to close this gap in order to combat impunity, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
According to Hoekstra, “all options leading to the prosecution of these crimes must be explored.” He pointed out that the establishment would require “broad international political support” and “financial support”, and that the tribunal should not interfere with the work of the ICC.
decades
The United Nations Security Council will not approve the plans for the tribunal of aggression, because Russia, as a permanent member, can veto it. But then they can be submitted to the General Assembly with all UN countries, which canceled Russian action against Ukraine or earlier.
It is of course difficult without a Russian commitment. European Commissioner of Justice Reynders previously said that he expects that decades will have to be set aside for the prosecution of all suspects. He has been referred to Rwanda, where no investigations into the genocide of 28 years ago.