Today, the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA), established on the basis of the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust), began its work in The Hague. It will be key to the investigation of Russia’s crime of aggression against Ukraine, as well as provide a framework to support and improve ongoing and future investigations of the crime of aggression and facilitate the exchange and analysis of evidence collected since the beginning of Russia’s aggression.
The launch of the Centre was announced on her Twitter account by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
The Centre, according to the press release, includes individual national prosecutors who are already involved in the work of the Joint Investigation Team, with which the Centre is linked in its activities. The participating experts will be able to work together to share evidence and agree on a common strategy. For its part, Eurojust will provide operational, legal, financial and logistical support for the storage and analysis of evidence. The evidence identified will be stored in the Main International Crimes Evidence Database.
The Centre’s work is important for preparing for future trials in both national and international courts, including a possible tribunal for the crime of aggression.
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to bring unspeakable horrors on a daily basis. The deeply disturbing news of deliberate attacks on civilians, including children, have become a brutal daily reminder of the bloodshed that Putin has brought back to our continent,” said Ursula von der Leyen. – “Evidence of the countless international crimes committed by Russia is mounting. The new International Criminal Prosecution Centre will play a key role in ensuring that those responsible are brought to justice, including for the crime of aggression.” She added that everything possible must be done to bring Putin and his associates to justice.
The Centre will start its work today. In addition to Ukraine, the five members of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) – Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Romania – are participating in the initial phase of the ICPA. After signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the JIT members, the United States appointed a special prosecutor for the crime of aggression to facilitate the ICPA’s activities.
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