The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, said that the court has jurisdiction over the investigation of executions of Ukrainian soldiers. This statement was made against the background of reports from the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine about the execution of 93 Ukrainian soldiers by the Russian occupiers.
Every provision of the Rome Statute… can be applied, they all matter. Our work is to apply a methodological approach, to organize an investigation strategy. And the message should be clear: regardless of whether someone is a head of state, government, commander or soldier, as the Secretary-General (UN) says, even wars have rules, and no one has the right to execute a civilian or a prisoner of war... And if such a person acts with impunity, then it can be under the jurisdiction of the ICC, because we have jurisdiction over events in Ukraine
According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, it is currently known that the Russian occupiers executed 93 Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield. 80% of these executions took place this year. This indicates a serious increase in such cases.
On March 17, 2023, the Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court issued warrants for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian President's Commissioner for Children's Rights. This decision was made in connection with the alleged responsibility for the war crime - illegal deportation of children.
