International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan has said that his office is closely monitoring the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian forces that have led to massive destruction of property and loss of lives.
In a statement, the prosecutor said he has been closely following recent developments in and around Ukraine with increasing concern.
“I remind all sides conducting hostilities on the territory of Ukraine that pursuant to the declaration lodged on 8 September 2015, accepting the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court ("ICC" or the "Court"),” Khan said.
However, Russia and Ukraine are not State Parties to the Rome Statute, but the Prosecutor said that the Court cannot exercise jurisdiction ‘over this alleged crime in this situation.
He said that his office may exercise its jurisdiction over and investigate any act of genocide, crime against humanity, or war crime committed within the territory of Ukraine from 20 February 2014 onwards.
“Any person who commits such crimes, including by ordering, inciting, or contributing in another manner to the commission of these crimes, may be liable to prosecution before the Court, with full respect for the principle of complementarity. It is imperative that all parties to the conflict respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.”
The Prosecutor added that his office will continue to closely monitor the situation in Ukraine.
“In the independent and impartial exercise of its mandate, the Office remains fully committed to the prevention of atrocity crimes and to ensuring that anyone responsible for such crimes is held accountable.”
The invasion has been condemned by the US, UK, and other countries, saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin will bear the cost of the crisis.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack, saying that the organization stands with the people of Ukraine, hence, scaling up its humanitarian operations.
“We are committed to staying and delivering, to support people in Ukraine in their time of need. We are providing lifesaving humanitarian relief to the most vulnerable, regardless of who or where they are,” Guterres said.
