The US still does not have a clear position on the creation of a special tribunal to try Russians for war crimes.
A draft resolution is circulating in the United Nations on the creation of an international tribunal similar to Nuremberg to hold the Russian leadership accountable for crimes of aggression in Ukraine.
“There are signs that US resistance to this proposal may weaken due to persistent pressure from the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi,” writes The Guardian .
It is noted that this week US Ambassador for Global Criminal Justice Beth Van Schaak said that this is what Ukraine wants and it will be of great importance.
“This is something that worries President Zelensky very much. This is what Ukraine wants, and I think it will have a lot of weight. The question is, will they have votes at the general meeting? So far, all resolutions regarding Ukraine have been approved. Number of votes was pretty big,” said Beth Van Schaak.
However, she added, the US still does not have a clear position on the creation of a special tribunal. However, she considers it expedient to hold trials in absentia of Russians accused of war crimes, if it is not possible to extradite them.
She suggested that the US could declassify intelligence to help identify those principally responsible for preparing and waging a war in clear violation of the UN charter.
Van Schaak said two options were being considered for the tribunal. The first is a bilateral agreement between Ukraine and the UN, which is “blessed” by the General Assembly. It will create a separate tribunal that will have the political support of the entire international community.
The second option, according to her, is a national court created by Ukraine with the EU or the Council of Europe with the addition of an international element, possibly approved by a vote of the UN General Assembly.
In both cases, we will be talking about a trial for the crime of aggression. “It will be a limited number of defendants, probably senior political leadership and possibly some senior military figures,” she said.
(C)UNIAN 2022